Sterile stable flies were released weekly a t the SDSU Beef Cattle and Sheep Nutrition Unit at Brookings from July 24 through September during the summer 1986 season t o eliminate wild populations of insects. Flies that were sterilized were marked with a dye so when recaptured by an insect net or a sticky trap they could be differentiated from wild, normal or fertile flies. A trend toward reduced f l y numbers was observed 3 weeks following the first release. A 1:5 ratio of sterile to wild flies was achieved in 6 weeks

Catangui, Michael A.

Easton, Emmert R.

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South Dakota State UniversityOpen PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access InstitutionalRepository and Information ExchangeSouth Dakota Beef Report, 1986 Animal Science Reports1986The Release of Insects Sterilized by Colbalt 60 toControl a Wild Population of Stable Flies at theSDSU Beef Cattle and Sheep Nutrition Unit inBrookingsEmmert R. EastonSouth Dakota State UniversityMichael A. CatanguiSouth Dakota State UniversityFollow this and additional works at: http://openprairie.sdstate.edu/sd_beefreport_1986Part of the Meat Science CommonsThis Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal Science Reports at Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access InstitutionalRepository and Information Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in South Dakota Beef Report, 1986 by an authorized administrator of OpenPRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. For more information, please contactmichael.biondo@sdstate.edu.Recommended CitationEaston, Emmert R. and Catangui, Michael A., "The Release of Insects Sterilized by Colbalt 60 to Control a Wild Population of StableFlies at the SDSU Beef Cattle and Sheep Nutrition Unit in Brookings" (1986). South Dakota Beef Report, 1986. Paper 17.http://openprairie.sdstate.edu/sd_beefreport_1986/17THE RELEASE OF INSECTS STERILIZED BY COBALT 60 TO CONTROL A W I L D  POPUIATION OF STABLE FLIES AT THE SDSlJ BEKF CATTLE AND SHgEP NUTRITION UNIT I N  BROORINGS Emmett R. Eas ton  and Michael A. Catangui  Department of P l a n t  Sc ience  Summary S t e r i l e  s t a b l e  f l i e s  were r e l e a s e d  weekly a t  t h e  SDSU Beef Cattle and Sheep N u t r i t i o n  Un i t  a t  Brookings  from J u l y  24  th rough  September du r ing  t h e  summer 1986 season  t o  e l i m i n a t e  w i l d  popu l a t i ons  of i n s e c t s .  F l i e s  t h a t  were  s t e r i l i z e d  were  marked w i t h  a  dye s o  when r ecap tu r ed  by an i n s e c t  n e t  o r  a s t i c k y  t r a p  t hey  cou ld  be  d i f f e r e n t i a t e d  from wi ld ,  normal o r  f e r t i l e  f l i e s .  A t r e n d  toward reduced f l y  numbers w a s  observed 3 weeks fo l l owing  t h e  f i r s t  release. A 1:5 r a t i o  of s t e r i l e  t o  w i l d  f l i e s  w a s  ach ieved  i n  6  weeks. (Key Words : S t a b l e  F ly ,  S t e r i l e  Male Release ,  c o n t r o l .  ) I n t r o d u c t i o n  The s t e r i l e - m a l e  t echn ique  i s  one of t h e  knawn ways of c o n t r o l l i n g  s p e c i f i c  i n s e c t  p e s t s  of a g r i c u l t u r e  and p u b l i c  h e a l t h .  It ha s  t h e  s o l e  d i s t i n c t i o n  of be ing  capab l e  of n e a r l y  e r a d i c a t i n g  an i n s e c t  s p e c i e s  when t h e  method i s  s e r i o u s l y  and thoroughly under taken.  The e r a d i c a t i o n  of t h e  screwworm i n  t h e  s o u t h e a s t e r n  Uni ted  S t a t e s  by t h e  workers a t  t h e  A g r i c u l t u r a l  Research S e r v i c e  of t h e  U.S. Department of A g r i c u l t u r e  and t h e  F l o r i d a  L ive s tock  Board (Knipl ing,  1985) provided proof  t h a t  t h e  t echn ique  i s  e f f e c t i v e .  Mass-rearing of an  i n s e c t  t o  b e  s t e r i l i z e d  and e v e n t u a l l y  r e l e a s e d  i n  t h e  w i l d  popu l a t i on  i s  a b a s i c  p r e r e q u i s i t e  of t h e  sterile-male technique.  I n  t h e  e r a d i c a t i o n  of  t h e  screwworm, a mechanized f a c t o r y ,  f o r  example, was b u i l t  and m i l l i o n s  o f  i n s e c t s  rea red .  Wil l iams e t  a l .  (1981) documented a method f o r  producing 250,000 t o  300,000 a d u l t  s t a b l e  f l i e s  p e r  day i n  connec t ion  w i t h  s ter i le  male r e l e a s e s  a t  S t .  Croix I s l a n d  i n  t h e  West I n d i e s .  Obviously. f o r  a f e e d l o t  s c a l e  o p e r a t i o n  fewer  s t e r i l e  f l i e s  would b e  r equ i r ed .  A s t udy  was conducted t o  de te rmine  t h e  f e a s i b i l i t y  of c o n t r o l l i n g  s t a b l e  f l i e s  i n  a  f e e d l o t  environment u s ing  t h e  s t e r i l e  f l y  technique.  Methods and M a t e r i a l s  Mass Rearing.  Adul t  f l i e s ,  Stomoxys c a l c i t r a n s ,  were housed i n  a s e r i e s  of -1 6  x 16  x 16" aluminum screened  cages  main ta ined  i n  a r e a r i n g  room under  c o n s t a n t  i l l u m i n a t i o n  (overhead lamps) w i t h  t empera ture  and r e l a t i v e  humidi ty  main ta ined  a t  700 F  and 60 t o  80%. r e s p e c t i v e l y .  F l i e s  were  f e d  c i t r a t e d  beef blood d a i l y  and eggs were  l a i d  on b l a c k  c l o t h s  t h a t  were  suspended i n  t a p  water i n  t h e  cages .  Eggs c o l l e c t e d  on t h e  c l o t h s  were  q u a n t i f i e d  v o l u m e t r i c a l l y  and p l aced  on a r t i f i c i a l  media (combinat ion of wheat b ran ,  f i s h  meal, z o n o l i t e  and w a t e r )  f o r  l a r v a e  t o  develop. Pupat ion of t h e  l a r v a e  began a f t e r  7  days and pupae were  c o l l e c t e d  from t h e  media 4 days l a t e r .  S t e r i l i z a t i o n .  Af t e r  pupae were c o l l e c t e d ,  they were sepa ra t ed  from t h e  a r t i f i c i a l  media, placed i n  p l a s t i c  bags (10,00O/bag) and s e n t  i n  a cool  box on t h e  bus t o  Fargo, North Dakota (USDA Lab),  where they were i r r a d i a t e d  w i t h  a Cobalt  60 source. I r r a d i a t e d  pupae were re turned  t o  Brookings on t h e  nex t  southbound bus. Release. S t e r i l i z e d  pupae were placed i n  aluminum cages and emerging a d u l t s  f ed  on beef blood b e f o r e  be ing  dyed wi th  Day-glo marking pigment (Day-Glo Color Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio). F l i e s  were r e l e a s e d  a t  t h e  SDSU N u t r i t i o n  Unit  a t  Brookings weekly from J u l y  through September b u t  only dur ing  opt imal  c l i m a t i c  cond i t i ons  s o  t h a t  t h e  r e l e a s e d  f l i e s  would be  a s  compet i t ive  a s  p o s s i b l e  and mate w i t h  t h e  w i l d  populat ion.  Recapture. Williams1 s t i c k y  t r a p s  were used t o  r ecap tu re  s t e r i l e  (marked f l i e s )  a s  w e l l  a s  w i l d  f l i e s .  Panels  composed of two t r a n s l u c e n t  f i b e r g l a s s  (A l syn i t e  S e r i e s  600, 1.2 mm t h i c k ,  Reichold Chemicals, Shawnee Mission, Kansas) r e c t a n g l e s  w e r e  f i t t e d  toge the r  a t  t h e i r  mid-points and covered wi th  10 mm c l e a r  p l a s t i c  shee t s .  The panels  and s l eeves  were pos i t i oned  i n  s l o t s  c u t  i n  2 x 2" wooden s t a k e s  (d r iven  previous ly  i n t o  t h e  ground w i t h  a p o s t d r i v e r ) .  The covered pane l s  were then  coated wi th  Tangle Trap adhesive (The Tanglefoot Company, Grand Rapids. Michigan). Resul t s  and Discussion When f l y  counts  on t h e  f r o n t  l e g s  of beef c a t t l e  i n  t h e  f e e d l o t  were c a r r i e d  out  a t  t h r e e  time i n t e r v a l s  dur ing  t h e  day, one day each week from June 12 t o  September 4 ( t a b l e  11 ,  numbers of s t a b l e  f l i e s  i n  gene ra l  were found t o  be the  lowest  i n  t h e  mornings and h ighes t  i n  t h e  a f te rnoons .  With t h e  r e l e a s e  of s t e r i l e  i n s e c t s  weekly from J u l y  24 t o  September 4, f l y  counts  on t h e  animals  were expected t o  i nc rease  immediately fol lowing r e l e a s e  and t o  decrease  fol lowing mating and t h e  subsequent product ion of s t e r i l e  eggs. Length of a d u l t  l i f e  f o r  a t y p i c a l  f l y  (both  s t e r i l e  a s  w e l l  a s  f e r t i l e )  was es t imated  a t  2 weeks. A t r end  toward lower numbers of f l i e s  was observed s t a r t i n g  August 15,  3 weeks a f t e r  t h e  f i r s t  s t e r i l e  f l y  r e l ea se .  We hope t h a t ,  when t h e  d a t a  f o r  t h e  month of September a r e  complete, we w i l l  be a b l e  t o  demonstrate a g r e a t e r  reduct ion  i n  t h e  numbers of f l i e s  t h a t  a r e  a v a i l a b l e  t o  feed  on p o t e n t i a l  animals.  When s t e r i l e  i n s e c t s  were r e l ea sed  s t a r t i n g  t h e  week of J u l y  24, t h e  r a t i o  of s t e r i 1 e : f e r t i l e  (wi ld  f l i e s )  i n  t h e  f e e d l o t  was es t imated  a t  1:26 us ing  t h e  W i l l i a m s 1  s t i c k y  t r a p s  ( t a b l e  2 ) .  On August 29 a f t e r  t h e  r e l e a s e  of s t e r i l e  i n s e c t s  over  a per iod  of 6 weeks, t h e  r a t i o  of s t e r i1e :wi ld  f l i e s  was inc reased  t o  1:5. Based on these  da t a ,  t h e  r a t i o  of s t e r i1e :wi ld  f l i e s  dur ing  t h e  month of September should be  increased  t o  1:l o r  1 : O .  The i n v e s t i g a t o r s  p l an  t o  cont inue  t h e i r  r e l e a s e s  dur ing  September t o  reduce t h e  w i l d  popula t ion  a s  f a r  a s  p o s s i b l e  toward zero .  Fewer numbers of f e r t i l e  i n s e c t s  w i l l  then  be a v a i l a b l e  t o  s u c c e s s f u l l y  overwinter  and t h e  popula t ion  of s t a b l e  f l i e s  i n  e a r l y  1987 i s  expected t o  be  d rama t i ca l ly  l e s s ,  L i t e r a t u r e  C i t ed  Knip l ing ,  E. R. 1985. S t e r i l e  i n s e c t  t echn ique  as a  screwworm c o n t r o l  measure: t h e  concept  and i t s  development. I n :  Symposium on E r a d i c a t i o n  of t h e  Screwworm from t h e  Uni ted S t a t e s  and Mexico. 0. H. Graham ( ~ d . )  . Entomological  Soc. America Misc. Publ. 62,  Col lege Park,  Maryland. Will iams. D. F., R. S. Pa t t e r son ,  G. C. LaBrecque and D. E. Weidhaas. 1981. Cont ro l  of t h e  s t a b l e  f l y .  Stomoxys c a l c i t r a n s .  on S t .  Croix,  U. S. V i r g i n  I s l a n d s ,  u s ing  i n t e g r a t e d  p e s t  management measures. 11. Mass r e a r i n g  and s t e r i l i z a t i o n .  J. Med. Entomology 1 8  :197-202. TABLE 1. AVERAGE NUMBER OF STABLE ELIES (BITING OR ALIGHTING) ON THE POSTERIOR ASPECT OF THE FORELEGS OF 20 CATTLE PER MINUTE AT THE SDSU BEEF CATTLE AND SHEEP NUTRITION UNIT DURING THE 1986 SEASON Date  9 a .m.  1 2  noon 3 p.m. J u n e  1 2  J u n e  1 9  J u n e  26 J u l y  3 J u l y  1 0  J u l y  17 J u l y  2 4  7.559a J u l y  3 1  19.737a August 8 31,916a August 1 5  14.2588 August 22 33,379a August 29 25,551a September 4 a Number o f  s te r i le  f l i e s  r e l e a s e d .  TABLE 2. NUMBER OF STABLE ELIES CAPTURED FROM TWO WILLIAMSs TRAPS AT THE SDSU BEEF CATTLE AND SHEEP NUTRITION UNIT DURING THE 1986 SEASON T o t a l  S t e r i l e  :wi ld  Date count  r a t i o  June  1 2  J u n e  1 9  J u n e  26 J u l y  3 J u l y  1 0  J u l y  17 J u l y  2 4  J u l y  3 1  August 3 August 15 August 22 August 29 a Number o f  s t e r i l e  f l i e s  r e l e a s e d .  

The Release of Insects Sterilized by Colbalt 60 to Control a Wild Population of Stable Flies at the SDSU Beef Cattle and Sheep Nutrition Unit in Brookings

https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&amp;context=sd_beefreport_1986

The Release of Insects Sterilized by Colbalt 60 to Control a Wild Population of Stable Flies at the SDSU Beef Cattle and Sheep Nutrition Unit in Brookings

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