A Low-cost Contamination Device for Infecting Adult Tsetse Flies, Glossina spp., with the Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium anisopliae in the Field

Abstract

A low-cost device for infecting adult tsetse fly, Glossina fuscipes fuscipes , with the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae was designed and tested in the field. Tsetse flies that are attracted to the trap entered the contamination device and ultimately became infected with the fungus. Traps exposed to the sun attracted more flies than did the ones placed in the shade. The time spent by single flies in the contamination device varied between 5- 189 s, and the subsequent number of conidia collected varied between 1.6 2 10 5 conidia and 40.5 2 10 5 conidia per fly, and largely depended on the behavior of individual flies. Dry conidia of M. anisopliae in the device retained their viability for 31 days in the field, and efficacy against G. fuscipes was not affected.