Occurrence: Worldwide.   Species affected: All.   Age affected: All.

Causes: Common non-biting flies include the housefly (Musca domestica) and species of the genus Fannia.

Effects: Flies are a health and sanitation problem. Flies need to be controlled to prevent public pressure forcing poultry producers out of business. Flies have also been incriminated as vectors of intestinal diseases, as well as viruses and parasites.

The order Diptera includes families whose members suck blood from birds and mammals. All dipterans have two wings in the adult stage (except degenerate wingless forms) and pass through a complete metamorphosis including a maggot-like larva and a puparium resting stage. Adult mouthparts are of the piercing-sucking or sponging types.

Because of the intermittent nature of their feeding and extensive flight range, adult flies are ideal vectors of disease. Non-biting flies produced on poultry farms are a health and sanitation problem to the poultry producer and neighbours. Public pressure against poultry enterprises can force producers to move or go out of business if flies, odours or blowing feathers are not controlled.

Flies lay eggs in manure (some sarcrophagids deposit living larvae), in most spilled feed, or on dead-bird carcasses. In hot weather the housefly can complete its life cycle in 8 days, but in colder weather it may require over 6 weeks. Larvae (maggots) develop in moist manure and then move to drier areas for pupation. The housefly does not diapause, and survives northern winters by slow development in warm indoor locations such as enclosed poultry houses and dairy barns and in towns and cities. Other filth survive northern winters by hibernation.

Location of poultry houses and manure disposal areas needs to be carefully planned to prevent filth fly problems from developing. The poultry industry has an important role in community responsibility to control flies in suburban and urban areas. Poultry producers have met financial disaster as new residential developments have invaded formerly suburban locations where they had built their facilities. In many regions, state and county legislative action has strengthened public health codes, and local ordinances have resulted whereby poultry farms can be closed because of unabated fly sources found on their property.

Flies and mosquitoes are commonly found around poultry houses and can be identified by sight.

Adult flies have wings, are active during the daytime and lay eggs in poultry manure, in moist, spilled feed or on the carcasses of dead birds. Adult flies, larvae (maggots) and pupae will all be seen in and around the poultry house. Although flies do not commonly cause direct health concerns, they may transmit disease agents.

The order Diptera includes families whose members suck blood from birds and mammals. All dipterans have two wings in the adult stage (except degenerate wingless forms) and pass through a complete metamorphosis including a maggot-like larva and a puparium resting stage. Adult mouthparts are of the piercing-sucking or sponging types. Because of the intermittent nature of their feeding and extensive flight range, adult flies are ideal vectors of disease. Non-biting flies produced on poultry farms are a health and sanitation problem to the poultry producer and neighbours. Public pressure against poultry enterprises can force producers to move or go out of business if flies, odours or blowing feathers are not controlled.

Flies lay eggs in manure (some sarcophagids deposit living larvae), in most spilled feed, or on dead-bird carcasses. In hot weather the housefly can complete its life cycle in 8 days, but in colder weather it may require over 6 weeks. Larvae (maggots) develop in moist manure and then move to drier areas for pupation. The housefly does not diapause, and survives northern winters by slow development in warm indoor locations such as enclosed poultry houses and dairy barns and in towns and cities. Other filth flies survive northern winters by hibernation.

Non-biting flies produced on poultry farms are a health and sanitation problem to the poultry producers and neighbours. Public pressure against poultry enterprises can force producers to move or go out of business if flies, odours, or blowing feathers are not controlled. Modern poultry farms produce a tremendous amount of manure, which must be managed to ensure that it is not attracting flies for breeding or causing an odour problem.

Location of poultry houses and manure disposal areas need to be carefully planned to prevent filth fly problems from developing. The poultry industry has an important role in community responsibility to control flies in suburban and urban areas. Poultry producers have met financial disaster as new residential developments have invaded formerly suburban locations where they had built their facilities. In many regions, state and county legislative action has strengthened public health codes and local ordinances have resulted whereby poultry farms can be closed because of unabated fly sources found on their property.

Location of poultry houses and manure disposal areas needs to be carefully planned to prevent filth fly problems from developing. The poultry industry has an important role in community responsibility to control flies in suburban and urban areas. Poultry producers have met financial disaster as new residential developments have invaded formerly suburban locations where they had built their facilities. In many regions, state and county legislative action has strengthened public health codes and local ordinances have resulted whereby poultry farms can be closed because of unabated fly sources found on their property.

The synthetic and natural pyrethroid insecticides, organophosphorus and carbamate are the main ectoparasite and fly control chemicals used for direct application to poultry, litter or buildings. In general, chemical insecticides and disinfectants should not be mixed for application together.

Among the botanical insecticides, pyrethrum remains very effective against flies and is a main ingredient of mist and aerosol fly sprays, particularly with synergists.

The chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides are banned from use on poultry or in poultry houses because of residues in eggs and meat. Under no circumstances should DDT, benzene hexachloride, toxaphene, chlordane, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin or heptachlor be used on poultry houses, poultry feed or feed ingredients.

Insecticides are available as wettable powders (WP), emulsifiable concentrates (EC) and water dispersible liquids (WDL), all of which are intended to be applied as a spray or mist. Insecticides are also available as dusts and as baits. These low-assay products are prepared, premixed and ready to use. Care should be taken to ensure that feed and water are not contaminated and that all label directions are strictly adhered to so that tolerances are not exceeded.

Apply the insecticide directly where the pest is located. If birds are being sprayed, the treatment must thoroughly cover the entire bird and the bird should be wet to the skin. If buildings are being treated, the sites where the pests are located must be treated if control is to be adequate. Methods for caged layers include high-pressure sprays (125 pounds per square inch (psi)) from outside the cages. Other treatments are:

• Dusting: for conventional houses, apply to litter; attempt to cover the area evenly including under roosts, feeders and nest boxes.
• Spraying: the usual cylindric compressed-air sprayers are satisfactory for treating roosts and walls, as are knapsack sprayers (continuously pumped during spraying) that give a continuous spray. Sprayers powered by an electric or gasoline motor that delivers pressures of 125 psi, and use of a spray gun with a solid-stream nozzle are much more rapid and efficient. When spraying houses, high-pressure and large-volume output are most desirable to drive spray into all cracks and crevices.
• Misting: electric mist machines (foggers) are efficient, rapid and often labour saving. Mist machines are concentrate applicators and do not use the same mixtures as ordinary sprayers. Generally they use 5-10 times the concentration and 1/3 – 1/10 the volume. In all fog work, the container should be shaken frequently during spraying to keep insecticide from settling. Mist machines can be used efficiently to dispense fly spray.

Insecticide formulations are water dispersable liquids, wettable powders (WP), and emulsifiable concentrates. The WP formulations will give a longer lasting residue than the other formulations. Dust, type of surface and amount of sunlight on the surface will have an effect on how long the product remains active.

Commercial baits are formulated as granules and should be place in pans or in protected areas. Bait can be placed in fly traps. To increase effectiveness of dry baits such as methomyl, one part field-grade molasses may be diluted with three parts water in a 5-gallon can and covered with a removable window screen lid on which the dry bait is placed. Some commercial baits add a fly attractant such as Muscamone®, which increases their effectiveness.

Control of fly larvae in the manure is done with a larvicide, which can be applied as a liquid, dry or in the bird feed. Penetration of the manure with a liquid is difficult, and it is adding water to manure, making it more difficult to dry to reduce breeding. Larviciding manure is also devastating to the predators and parasites living in the manure, causing a further imbalance of the fly larvae and predators and parasites. Larvicide treatment should only be done on a spot basis, where large numbers of larvae are seen. One exception to this rule is the larvicide cyromazine, which is toxic to fly larvae but not to the predators and parasites. Another product, Larvadex®, can be fed to cage layers. The product passes out harmlessly in the faeces and kills developing larvae.

One can use larvae from carpenter wasp in the litter. These larvae will consume fly larvae and these wasps are generally not a problem

Use of composting bins for poultry litter will generate enough heat to control fly development. Use of dry cups in the house and automatic feeders will keep the litter dry and free of feed. Use of pits and lagoons in cage layer houses will keep faeces from building up in the house. Use of slats under feeders and waters will keep the house litter dry. This will also allow for easy treatment of faeces with chemicals, in confined areas such as under the pits.

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