Commercial High Rise Houses

Abstract

Ophyra aenescens (Weidemann), a facultative predator, was mass reared at a commercial egg farm and released into the manure pits of six high rise controlled environment cage layer poultry houses as part of a four year/five phase integrated pest management (IPM) program to control house flies. The phases included: 1) monitoring house flies in each house to determine when the house fly population exceeded a fly nuisance threshold (FNT); 2) manure management; 3) release of mass reared predators; 4) use of insecticide bait panels containing 1% methomyl; and 5) treatment of feed with cyromazine if the FNT was exceeded. The IPM program was implemented from April 1987 to September 1990. It was compared to a standard control program used in 1986, in which synergized pyrethrin sprays, fly baits and cyromazine feed additives were applied to four houses. The cost of this latter program was $15,689.63. the cost of the IPM program was $3,082.10 per year for all six houses. It was concluded that on site mass rearing of O. aenescens was a feasible and economical program to help control house flies in commercial high rise poultry houses.