Dispersal Patterns and Populations of the House Fly1 Affected by Sanitation and Weather in Rural Maryland2

Diurnal Flight Activity of House Flies (Musca domestica) is Influenced by Sex, Time of Day, and Environmental Conditions

“…Because the house fly sex ratio at emergence is nearly equal [ 31 ], the skewed sex ratio noted in the current study (56–60% males) is likely due to the greater capture of males during the early morning collection periods, especially on the two hottest days. However, the skewed sex ratio may also be due to greater female dispersal from the dairy following emergence [ 32 ] or post-copulation [ 33 ], greater activity of male flies near trap locations or at trap heights [ 34 ], greater overall flight activity of males, or males using the traps as resting or mating sites [ 33 , 35 ]. Following the early morning collection periods, males and females were captured in approximately similar numbers throughout the remainder of the day, with the exception that the proportion of flies that were female was slightly greater at the BS dairy relative to the OS dairy.…”

Movement and Distribution of House Flies (Diptera: Muscidae) Between Habitats in Two Livestock Farms

“…However, farms are not uniform areas. In the case of the house fly, sanitation is a major factor in movement of house flies to an area because poor sanitation is related to the availability of food and breeding sites (Quarterman et al 1954a,b, Morris & Hansen 1966, Oda 1966, Pickens et al 1967. In our experiment, the average number of flies caught per trap per 3-day period declined dramatically within the first 50 m from the release areas (poultry houses and dairies), but unsanitary sites such as the poultry houses and dairies were preferred areas for fly congregation, as indicated by the high relative density of house flies in these areas.…”

“…STUDIESOF dispersal of the house fly, Musca domestica L., have focused on determining its range of flight (Parker 1916, Bishop & Laake 1919, Lindquist et al 1951, Ranade 1956, movement from breeding areas to urban areas (Schoof et al 1952, Quarterman et al 1954a, Schoof & Siverly 1954a,b, Oda 1966, or between breeding areas located on different farms (Quarterman et al 1954b, Hanec 1956, Wada & Oda 1963, Morris & Hansen 1966, Pickens et al 1967. These reports indicate that house flies fly up to 20 km from a release point; however, few individuals moved> 1.6 km from a release point and movement was oriented toward unsanitary sites.…”

The comparison of population density of Musca domestica nebulo (Diptera: Muscidae) between a temporary housing area and an unaffected village in Sri Lanka after about one year from a tsunami

“…1<a)), but no difference was found between vacant lots of both areas (Table 2, Fig. 1(b (Pickens et al, 1967 (Chapman et al, 1993 (Wisner and Adams, 2003),…”