Phenylpropanoids as attractants for adult Stomoxys calcitrans (Diptera:Muscidae)

Rate of capture of stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), on phenylpropanoid-baited and unbaited sticky traps was determined in tests conducted in a corn field and in grasses adjacent to a dairy farm. Phenylpropanoid compounds significantly increased capture in 2 of 4 tests in corn. Captures were highest with 3-phenyl-1-propanol, followed closely by hydrocinnamaldehyde (3-phenyl-1-propanal), and more distantly by cinnamyl alcohol. Both sexes were trapped, although males predominated approximately 2:1. Compounds without apparent attractiveness were (E)-cinnamaldehyde, 4-propylphenol, and 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-propanol. In the test adjacent to a dairy, 3-phenyl-1-propanol attracted approximately 16 times more stable flies than did 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-propanol or controls. The latter 2 treatments did not differ from one another, but were significantly less effective than 3-phenyl-1-propanol, which captured 1.2 times more males than females. The results are discussed in relation to stable fly nectar- and host-seeking behaviors.