Visual responses of Musca domestica to pheromone impregnated targets in poultry units.
Field trials investigating the effect of visual cues on catches of Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae) at toxic targets impregnated with the female sex pheromone (Z)-9-tricosene, were conducted in a caged-layer deep-pit poultry unit in southern England. Targets treated with azamethiphos and baited with 2.5 g of 40% (Z)-9-tricosene impregnated beads caught significantly greater numbers of M. domestica than control targets. The greater attractiveness of the pheromone impregnated targets persisted for at least 5 weeks. The addition of longitudinal black stripes, or a regularly spaced pattern of black spots, to the white targets had no effect on catch rates. However, a pattern of clustered black spots, designed to imitate groups of feeding M. domestica, significantly increased target catches; this effect was particularly pronounced in the targets impregnated with (Z)-9-tricosene. Trials comparing the attractiveness of white and fluorescent yellow pheromone-treated targets under two different lighting regimes indicated that M. domestica does not have a significant preference for either colour. The implications of these results in relation to the control of M. domestica populations in poultry units are discussed.
Chapman
J W
JW
Division of Biodiversity and Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, UK. JWC@Soton.ac.uk
Knapp
J J
JJ
Goulson
D
D
D000475:Alkenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003116:Color; D005260:Female; D006793:Houseflies / Q000502:physiology; D010675:Pheromones; D011200:Poultry; D014785:Vision, Ocular
D000475:Alkenes; D010675:Pheromones; C003646:muscalure