|
Project leaders: D. A. Rutz,
Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
P. E. Kaufman Department of Entomology,
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
J. K. Waldron, New York State IPM, Cornell
University, Geneva, NY
Abstract: House flies, Musca
domestica, and stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans, are both
extremely important dairy cattle pests in New York. House flies transmit
diseases and are annoying, while stable flies inflict a painful bite
causing weight loss and discomfort to animals. Both of these flies have
the potential to move from the farm to neighboring homes creating legal
challenges and extremely poor community relations.
Large, plastic covered, half-hoop
structures, resembling greenhouses used for holding large numbers of
calves are beginning to replace individual calf hutches on New York
dairy farms. The benefits of using these structures are numerous (easier
animal handling, healthier calves, and easier cleanup), however, there
is also the potential for buildup of large numbers of fly pests. Until
recently, we have not had the opportunity to critically evaluate the
effectiveness of our dairy fly IPM program recommendations in these
facilities. Additionally, this on-farm project enabled us to evaluate
our fly management recommendations and provided us with a means to solicit
grower feedback and suggestions in "real time."
Eight dairy farms with calf greenhouses
were used in this study with three farms serving as control sites and
five serving as IPM farms. Farms chosen for this study ranged in size
from 200 to over 2,000 milking cows and were located in Tompkins, Cortland,
Onondaga and Cayuga counties. Fly breeding areas were observed on every
farm. Maternity and calf rearing facilities were the primary sources
for breeding activity.
Producer perceptions on stable fly
abundance appear to be closely reflected in calf leg counts. Sticky
traps (75) removed 483,000 house flies and 77,000 stable flies from
five dairies throughout the course of the study. IPM farms were less
likely to use insecticides and when needed used more IPM-friendly materials
than Control farms. As was expected, the sticky traps were not a "silver
bullet" to fly management, but were an important component in an
overall strategy. As observed in study year 1, cultural control continued
to exert the single greatest impact on changes in fly populations. When
producers (IPM and Control) disposed of refused water out-of-doors and
cleaned wet areas below feed and water buckets, fly numbers dropped.
During the 2001 study we incorporated an augmentative biological control
program by releasing parasitoids on the five IPM farms. As of the publication
of this report, parasitoid samples have not been fully identified and
summarized.
This project was conducted over
a two-year period. This abbreviated report will cover some of the results
from the 2001 project. A complete report will be filed in the 2002 project
report year.
|
