Development of a Mycoinsecticide Bait Formulation for the Control of House Flies, Musca domestica L.
1
Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
2
Agri-Science Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Brisbane 4102, Australia
3
Australian Banana Growers’ Council, Brisbane 4106, Australia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Insects 2020, 11(1), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11010047
Received: 14 December 2019 / Revised: 3 January 2020 / Accepted: 7 January 2020 / Published: 9 January 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Control of House Flies and Stable Flies)
The control of house flies, Musca domestica (L.), currently relies on the use of chemical insecticide spray and bait formulations. Entomopathogenic fungi, such as Metarhizium anisopliae, may provide an alternative to these products. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a mycoinsecticide bait formulation containing a virulent M. anisopliae isolate. Five M. anisopliae isolates were screened against M. domestica and isolate M16 was selected for bait development. Bait formulations containing a variety of additives, including (Z)-9-tricosene, were tested for their ability to increase fly visitation. A bait formulation containing M. anisopliae and skim milk powder was found to have the highest house fly visitation and was subsequently compared to a conventional chemical bait in an efficacy assay. The chemical bait (0.5% imidacloprid) caused faster mortality than the mycoinsecticide bait, however, similar levels of mortality were achieved by 4–5 days’ post exposure. These results suggest that M. anisopliae mycoinsecticide baits may offer an alternative to conventional chemical insecticides for the control of house flies in suitable areas.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Baker, D.; Rice, S.; Leemon, D.; Godwin, R.; James, P. Development of a Mycoinsecticide Bait Formulation for the Control of House Flies, Musca domestica L.. Insects 2020, 11, 47.
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