Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Minutes of Multi-State Project S-1005 Meeting
January 6-7, 2003
Cook Conference Center and Hotel
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA

1. Meeting was called to order about 3:30 PM, Monday, January 6, by Dave Taylor, Program Chairman. It was announced that Dr. Elson Shields, who has worked extensively with insect dispersal with meteorological conditions, was visiting and would give his presentation first before the group became involved in internal projects.

2. Dr. Shields, who has never worked with stable flies, gave an interesting presentation on past dispersal projects with crop pests. He described pest dispersal and showed examples of weather systems that moved them from one place to another. He hypothesized about movement of stable flies and showed representative weather scenarios that might support movement from on place to another. The talk was well received and was definitely food for thought.

3. Next, Alberto Broce discussed projects he and associates had done as part of Objective 3. Part 1: Source Reduction. Work involved the use of hay rings to minimize stable fly breeding in hay residues. Larval production in residues was from 1,000 to 7,000/m2 when no rings were used. Better control with single rings and best control with double rings. A new approach is to look at round bale feeding as a pollutant point source.

4. On Tuesday, January 7, 2003, after announcements, Lane Foil talked about work done with Nzi traps for stable fly management under Objective 3, Part 2: Traps and Insecticides. Nzi captures about 30% of flies attracted. It is unidirectional. Foil discussed catch containers, fly behavior and trap efficacy, and target studies in Louisiana. Targets attract ca. 350 stable flies/hr; flies stay on targets. Ca. 1,335 stable flies /hr killed in tests in Mexico. Targets attract more males that females. Placement not well defined; ground-level traps.

5. Jerry Hogsette led the discussion on Objective 1: Identify, characterize and rank developmental habitats of stable flies and assess their overwintering success in those habitats. Work was not begun because a sampling was not developed. When the group left the Griffin, GA, meeting in 2002, it was asserted that untrained labor could be used to sample areas 1 mile in diameter to assess which habitats are being used for development of immature stable flies. Hogsette contended that this was not possible because of the large area involved and because untrained labor would result in erroneous results. It was agreed that smaller areas could be used and that a sampling plan would be circulated in time to begin sampling in the spring. Roger Moon discussed the use of habitats, particularly rolled hay habitats, to assess the ability of stable flies to overwinter. Moon recruited several cooperators to work on an overwintering project.

6. Roger Moon led discussion on Objective 2 Assess dispersal by stable flies..., Part 1: Local Dispersal. Discussion of project in June, 2002, in Meade, NE. No marked flies were recovered until habitats were marked. Measured diffusion of young, marked flies. Need to know more about adult fly activity over time in lab before doing more marked-release studies.

7. Dave Taylor led the discussion on Objective 2, Part 2: Regional Dispersal. Received stable flies from GA, FL, NY, MN, and other locations. No differences in populations based on DNA Markers. Allen Szalanski stated that 3 markers had been developed and that micro-satellite markers were being developed. There was a need to verify that alcohol is suitable for specimen preservation.

8. Jack Campbell added as part of Objective 3, Part 2: Traps and Insecticides, that Nebraska had the lowest rainfall in 100 years resulting in fewer stable flies than usual on traps.

9. Alberto Broce led the discussion on Objective 3 To develop sustainable control tactics and management strategies that would be practical for use by producers, Part 1 Source Reduction. Proposal written to evaluate several methods to manage flies in hay residues, including double-ring feeders and clean-up procedures. Soil pH modifier, e.g. gypsum, did not alter stable fly development. Wes Watson added that lime hydrate produced a very temporary pH shift. Allen Szalanski used nematodes to reduce stable flies in hay residues.

10. Lane Foil led the discussion on Objective 3, Part 2: Traps and Insecticides. Foil and Campbell tried vapona and permethrin sprayed daily on the legs of cattle. Did not reduce stable fly numbers. Campbell stated cattle were also tagged for horn fly control. Automatic spray was modified with more spray nozzles at lowers levels to cover legs. Each spray burst = ca. 30ml. Jerry Butler made improved counts on Sonic Web traps plus CO2. Geraniol kept stable flies off of Sonic Web Traps. Feeding rates with application of various repellents, essential oils not so good; fire ant safe - good, 4 hours, 100%. Activity needs to be extended.

11. Roger Moon and Chris Geden reported that for Objective 3, Part 3: Biological Control, there was no additional information to report. Tests were continuing with foreign species collected by Moon.

12. Steve Dobson reported on Objective 3, Part 4: Wolbachia. Attempted to characterize Wolbachia infection, but nothing found in Kentucky. Transfection - moving Wolbachia into stable flies. Positive control is Drosophila. Improving technique with Drosophila; will try with stable flies in 2003. Basic model with Wolbachia infectivity being developed. Migration rate important to release strategies. Spatial features being incorporated into model.

13. Future Planning: Regional Dispersal - AFLP technique, Satellite markers. Source Reduction - Work will be done if proposal is not funded. Traps and Insecticides - Targets and Nzi traps. Biocontrol - Roger Moon: No more foreign exploration; send specimens to Dave Taylor in alcohol. Wolbachia - Attempt to inject Wolbachia into stable flies; specialize model for stable flies; Roger Moon will visit with Steve Dobson. Roger Moon - Analysis of seasonality of stable flies in various locations.

14. Next meeting: Orlando area, either January 8-9, 2003, or January 12-13, 2003.

15. Adjourn, Tuesday, January 7, 2003, at ca. 11:30 AM.

Respectfully submitted,

Jerry Hogsette
2003 Secretary
Multi-State Project S-1005

Objective 1. Identify, characterize and rank developmental habitats of stable flies and assess their over wintering success in those habitats Group Leader Jerry Hogsette, USDA, ARS, CMAVE

Jerry Hogsette led the discussion on Objective 1. Work was not begun because a sampling protocol was not developed. When the group left the Griffin, GA, meeting in 2002, it was asserted that untrained labor could be used to sample areas 1 mile in diameter to assess which habitats are being used for development of immature stable flies. Hogsette contended that this was not possible because of the large area involved and because untrained labor would result in erroneous results. It was agreed that smaller areas could be used and that a sampling plan would be circulated in time to begin sampling in the spring. Roger Moon discussed the use of habitats, particularly rolled hay habitats, to assess the ability of stable flies to over winter. Moon recruited several cooperators to work on an over wintering project.

Objective 2 Assess dispersal by stable flies on local and regional scales

Part 1: Local Dispersal. Group leader Roger Moon, University of Minnesota

Roger Moon led discussion on Objective 2, Part 1. Discussion of June, 2002, project in Mead, NE. No marked flies were recovered until habitats were marked. Measured diffusion of young, marked flies. Need to know more about adult fly activity over time in lab before doing more mark-release studies.

Stable fly populations were monitored with Alsynite traps at U. Nebraska (Sand Hills), Cornell, U. Tennessee, ARS-Lincoln and U. Kentucky.

U. Tennessee. E. coli O157 was isolated from 10% of dairy cattle in March and April and 26% in July. Three weeks later 20% of the house fly pools at the same dairy were positive for E. coli O157. O157 was isolated from 18/240 fecal samples (7.5%) and 2/56 house fly pools (3.6%) for the period June through August 2002. No O157 has been isolated from stable flies this year.

USDA-ARS Lincoln. In cooperation with Roger Moon, Alberto Broce, and Jack Campbell ARS Lincoln hosted a local dispersal study using Alsynite self-marking stations and sticky traps. The marking stations were placed in the middle of a series of traps placed < mile apart along the North - South and East - West Axes. Traps extended 2 miles from the center in each direction. Collections were made before sunrise each day. Marking stations were set up 18 June and collections continued through 27 June. The self marking aspect of the study failed. No self marked flies were recaptured after 3 days of collections. A breeding site approximately = mile WSW from marking stations and center of grid was marked with fluorescent powder on 21 June. 578 marked stable flies were collected and physiologically age-graded. However, total collections could not be correlated with temperature, wind speed or solar radiation. R2 values for proximity to breeding sites, pastured cattle and confined cattle were low (< 0.22).

Objective 2 Assess dispersal by stable flies on local and regional scales

Part 2: Regional Dispersal. Group leader David Taylor, USDA-ARS, Lincoln

Dave Taylor led the discussion on Objective 2, Part 2. He received stable flies from GA, FL (Gainesville & Panama City), NY, and MN. No differences in populations based on DNA Markers. Allen Szalanski stated that 3 markers had been developed and that micro-satellite markers were being developed. There was a need to verify that alcohol preservation is suitable for micro-satellite analysis.

U Ark. The complete DNA sequence of the mtDNA cytochrome oxidase II gene from house fly, Musca domestica, face fly, Musca autumnalis, stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans, horn fly, Haematobia irritans, and black garbage fly, Hydrotaea aenescens, was completed.

Objective 3. To develop sustainable control tactics and management strategies that would be practical for use by producers.

Part 1. Source Reduction, Group Leader Alberto Broce, Kansas State University

Alberto Broce led the discussion on Objective 3 Part 1. A proposal was written to evaluate several methods to manage flies in hay residues, including double-ring feeders and clean-up procedures. Larval production in residues was from 1,000 to 7,000/m2 when no rings were used. Better control with single rings and best control with double rings. Soil pH modifier, e.g. gypsum, did not alter stable fly development. Wes Watson added that lime hydrate produced a very temporary pH shift. Allen Szalanski used nematodes to reduce stable flies in hay residues. A new approach is to look at round bale feeding as a pollutant point source.

Kansas State U. Because producers are more likely to implement a chemical control over a cultural method (sanitation or waste reduction), evaluations were made of various chemicals used as soil pH amenders as to their efficacy in preventing stable fly larval development: Gypsum, zoolite, lime and fly ash (from a coal-burning power station) were applied to the surface of core samples of the hay-manure medium at the winter hay feeding sites. The pH of the control remained about 7.3, whereas pH of the gypsum, zoolite and fly ash treatments fluctuated about the 7.3 value, but not significantly; pH did not change in relation to the level of treatment. The survival of stable fly larvae in these treatments was essentially the same as that of the control. The pH of the lime treatments changed significantly, to 7.6  7.8 in the lower and to 9.3 in the highest treatment rate; but even this high shift in pH did not affect the larval survival. Future studies should concentrate in evaluating hay feeding techniques that might reduce the amount of wasted material and in the efficacy of sanitation on the production of stable flies in round bale feeding sites in pastures.

Objective 3. To develop sustainable control tactics and management strategies that would be practical for use by producers.

Part 2. Traps and Insecticides. Group Leaders Lane Foil, Louisiana State University & Jack Campbell, University of Nebraska Lincoln

Lane Foil led the discussion on Objective 3, Part 2. Foil and Campbell tried vapona and permethrin sprayed daily on the legs of cattle. Did not reduce stable fly numbers. Campbell stated cattle were also tagged for horn fly control. Automatic spray was modified with more spray nozzles at lowers levels to cover legs. Each spray burst = ca. 30ml. Jerry Butler made improved counts on Sonic Web traps plus CO2. Geraniol kept stable flies off of Sonic Web Traps. Feeding rates with application of various repellents, essential oils not so good; fire ant safe - good, 4 hours, 100%. Activity needs to be extended.

On Tuesday, January 7, 2003, after announcements, Lane Foil talked about work done with Nzi traps for stable fly management under Objective 3, Part 2: Traps and Insecticides. Nzi captures about 30% of flies attracted. It is unidirectional. Foil discussed catch containers, fly behavior and trap efficacy, and target studies in Louisiana. Targets attract ca. 350 stable flies/hr; flies stay on targets. Ca. 1,335 stable flies /hr killed in tests in Mexico. Targets attract more males that females. Placement not well defined; ground-level traps.

Cornell. An evaluation of the Epps Trap, a recently developed biting fly-trap, was conducted across central NY. This trap has proven effective at capturing large numbers of horse flies in more southern areas. Based on studies in 2001 that documented promising numbers of stable flies we again evaluated the Epps Trap in 2002. Few stable flies were recovered from traps.

U. Florida. Objective: to develop and improve fly trap systems for the stable fly Stomoxys calcitrans. Fly trapping systems using heart beat sound activated traps (Sonic Web) were evaluated in late 2001 to determine if the addition of C02 and selected attractants would improve the catch rates. C02 at 1000 ml/min and the addition of Musk 781 showed the greatest increase in catch of the materials tested. The trap its self was shown to be an effective stable fly attractant system. New stable fly repellent trials were conducted to evaluate natural oils for repelling flies from animals and in an Olfactometer. Oeraniol and geraniol nerol treatments on artificial skin in the Olfactometer were the most significantly effective at 86% control for up to 8 hours. This control was equal to earlier formulations supplied for on cattle testing in both Nebraska and Louisiana. Others will report the results of those tests.

Objective 3. To develop sustainable control tactics and management strategies that would be practical for use by producers.

Part 3: Biological Control Group Leaders Roger Moon, University of Minnesota & Chris Geden - USDA, ARS, CMAVE

Roger Moon and Chris Geden reported for Objective 3, Part 3. There was no additional information to report. This topic was covered in the S-1006 meeting. Tests were continuing with foreign species collected by Moon.

U. Arkansas. Steinernema feltiae strain SN was evaluated for control of stable fly larvae in round bale feeding residue. Throughout the post-treatment period, the average number of emerging stable flies was 13.9 and 6.7 for the control and treated areas, respectively.

USDA-ARS Lincoln. Samples of Spalangia endius, cameroni and nigroaenea from Russia and Kazakhstan were compared to wasps from Minnesota, Nebraska and Florida. Spalangia drosophiliae, gemina and nigra were also examined. Although some variation was observed, S. endius and S. cameroni from Europe and Asia are very similar to their conspecifics in the United States. Spalangia nigroaenea from Russia and Kazakhstan were very different from Nebraskan S. nigroaenea. The ITS-1 amplicon was highly differentiated among the species. Length varied from 655 bp in S. nigra to 971 bp in S. drosophiliae. Restriction digests with Mse I and Taq I could differentiate Spalangia and Muscidifurax species.

Objective 3. To develop sustainable control tactics and management strategies that would be practical for use by producers.

Part 4: Wolbachia

U. Kentucky. To date, Wolbachia survey activities, embryonic transfection, and developing models for stable fly suppression strategies. PCR surveillance for Wolbachia bacteria was limited to flies captured in Kentucky. No infection was detected. In 2003, flies supplied by other S1005 participants will be PCR assayed. Embryonic transfection work focused on training a new graduate student using Drosophila simulans as a model system. The Drosophila simulans model was selected due to ease of rearing and previously developed transfection techniques. Additional transfection experiments included the use of an in vitro infection as the Wolbachia source for injections. A model of Wolbachia infection dynamics in stable fly populations was modified to allow the examination of spatiality and migration rates on suppression strategies for stable fly populations.


Future Planning:

Regional Dispersal - AFLP technique, Satellite markers.

Source Reduction - Work will be done if proposal is not funded.

Traps and Insecticides - Targets and Nzi traps.

Biocontrol - Roger Moon: No more foreign exploration; send specimens to Dave Taylor in alcohol.

Wolbachia - Attempt to inject Wolbachia into stable flies; specialize model for stable flies; Roger Moon will visit with Steve Dobson. Roger Moon - Analysis of seasonality of stable flies in various locations.

Butler, J. F. In press 2003. A Multichoice Olfactometer for blood feeding flies and Mosquitoes with notes on new to science attractants and repellents. American Mosquito Control Association, Atlantic City, NJ.

Butler, J. F. and Jerome A. Hogsette. 2002. Horn fly Haematobia irritans (L.) and Stable fly Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) CAB International, 2002. In: Animal Health and Production Compendium. Wallingford, UK. CAB International.

Kaufman, P.E. 2002. Dairy Pest Management, Arthropods. In D. Pimentel, ed. Encyclopedia of Pest Management. Marcel Dekker, Inc. 181-183.

Kaufman, P. E. and D. A. Rutz. 2002 Susceptibility of house flies (Diptera: Muscidae) exposed to five commercial insecticides on painted plywood. Pest Manag. Sci. 58: 174-178.

McKay, T. and A.B. Broce. Response of Muscidifurax zaraptor (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) to the olfactory stimuli from hosts and their habitat. J. Kans. Entomol. Soc. (In Press)