Control of the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae), on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, using integrated pest management measures. I. Feasibility of sterile male releases.

Abstract

The feasibility of controlling the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans , on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands using sterile male releases was evaluated. With the observed rates of increase, population densities, daily emergence rate, and mass-rearing capacity, it was found that sterile male releases (SMRs) are feasible during the dry season at sterile:fertile ratios of 0.5:1, 1:1, and 2:1 and at a 5:1 ratio if only a portion of the island is to be treated. Fewer options are available during the wet season, because rates of increase are too great to use SMR alone at the 0.5:1 and 1:1 sterile:fertile ratios, and only ½ of the island can be treated at 5:1. It is suggested that SMRs might be integrated into a pest management program, since partial suppression is all that would be necessary to reduce fly populations to levels low enough in both wet and dry seasons so that the SMR technique could be feasible.