Insect sterilant experiments in outdoor cages with apholate, metepa, and four bifunctional aziridine chemicals against the house fly.

Abstract

Large outdoor cage tests were conducted in 1963 and 1964 with apholate, metepa, and 4 bifunctional aziridine chemicals against the house fly, Musca domestica L. These tests evaluated the effectiveness of 5 apholate formulations and granular sugar baits of the 6 chemicals under variable environmental conditions and moderately high house fly populations. The performance of apholate formulations ranked in this order: liquid and granular baits were most effective; ribbon treatments were slightly better than string; and residual treatments on plywood were least effective. The greater effectiveness of baits was associated with good attractancy and more rapid availability of the sterilant. The use of a humectant, like glycerin, on strings and baits improved performance. High sterility was obtained with each of the 6 chemicals as granular sugar baits. The performance of baits was affected, however, by method of placement, fly age, and envhonmental conditions. A broadcast method of exposure was most effective, but resulted in a more rapid loss of the sterilant. Metepa and a bis aziridine diphosphaspiro dioxide compound, which were ⅓ as effective as apholate in the laboratory, gave promising results at field concentrations.