Control of blowfly strike in sheep: current strategies and future prospects

Blowfly strike is a cutaneous myiasis in sheep caused by infestations of larvae principally from the family Calliphoridae, particularly the species Lucilia cuprina and Lucilia sericata. These larval infestations cause considerable economic losses to the wool industry. Established control methods have served the industry well in the past, but there are growing deficiencies with these methods. In particular, there is widespread resistance to organophosphorus insecticides and potential difficulties associated with the presence of chemical residues derived from insecticides in wool and waste products which must be disposed of by the industry. There is also growing opposition to the radical surgical procedures used to decrease the susceptibility of sheep to blowfly strike. Consequently, there is a need for the development of alternative control measures. This review examines critically the present control methods and discusses the range of options available for the development of new control strategies. Many of the latter involve novel approaches which will strongly complement current control measures.