title: Persistence of sterile screwworm (Diptera: Calliphoridae) flies at a release site.
abstract: Studies to determine the persistence of released, sterile screwworms, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), were conducted in Belize, Central America, in 1987-1988. A total of nine releases were made, each consisting of 4,000 females marked with a fluorescent dust. Previous similar studies with baited fly traps indicated that flies died or dispersed from the release site within 3-4 d. For this study, flies were recaptured at sentinel animals. Recapture rates varied greatly between releases, a result that was not correlated with any weather parameter. The pattern of recapture indicated a sharp drop in the released population after 9-10 d, with a few flies persisting in the release area for up to 3 wk. The results suggest that survival of released sterile flies is comparable with estimated survival rate and life span of wild, native flies.
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS Screwworm Research Laboratory, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Mangan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D011891:Rain; D012610:Screw Worm Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012756:Sheep; D013696:Temperature