Effect of Macrochelidae (Acarina: Mesostigmata) on House Fly Production From Dairy Cattle Manure1

Abstract

Caged areas of intact calf pen manure with the mite population undisturbed produced 61% to 67% fewer house flies ( Musca domestica Linnaeus) than did areas with the mites destroyed by Kelthanc® (l, l-bis (p-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-trichloroethanol) when 20,000 fly eggs were added to each area. Outdoor piles of dairy cattle manure with the mite population undisturbed produced 31% to 45% fewer house flies than did piles with the mites destroyed by Kelthane, when 50,000 fly eggs were added to each pile. Indoor caged piles of fresh dairy cattle manure to which 20,000 house fly eggs were added produced 94% fewer flies when 200 Macrocheles museaedomestieae (Scopoli) and 200 Glyptholaspis confuse (Foa) were added than did piles to which no mites were added. Similar reductions in fly production in the presence of the mites resulted when 20,000 and 60,000 eggs and fresh manure were added to the piles 3 weeks later. Addition of 60,000 eggs to indoor caged piles of fresh dairy cattle manure, to which were added 200 M. muscaedomesticae and 200 G. Confusa , resulted in 83% fewer house flies than were produced from piles with no mites. The reductions in numbers of house flies by the mites were large compared to the actual fly production from manure but were small compared to the potential production of flies from the numbers of eggs added.