Monday, December 11, 2006 - 3:25 PM
0522

Using parasitic wasps as an IPM approach to manage filth flies in southern dairies

Kelly Loftin, kloftin@uaex.edu1, Tanja McKay, tmckay@astate.edu2, Jodie Pennington, jpennington@uaex.edu1, Dayton Steelman, dsteelm@uark.edu3, Allen Szalanski, aszalan@uark.edu3, Karl VanDevender, kvan@uaex.edu1, Wes Watson, wes_watson@ncsu.edu4, and Scott Willard, swillard@ads.msstate.edu5. (1) University of Arkansas, Cooperative Extension Service, Cralley Warren Lab, 2701 N. Young Ave, Fayetteville, AR, (2) Arkansas State University, Department of Biological Sciences, P.O. Box 599, State University, AR, (3) University of Arkansas, Department of Entomology, 319 Agriculture Building, Fayetteville, AR, (4) North Carolina State University, Department of Entomology, Box 7626, Raleigh, NC, (5) Mississippi State University, Department of Animal & Dairy Science, Box 9815, Mississippi State, MS

Dairy producer interest in incorporating commercial releases of pteromalid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) into their Musca domestica and Stomoxys calcitrans IPM programs has increased. This renewed interest is partially the result of increased milk premiums for organically produced milk and insecticide resistance. Research based recommendations for using pteromalid wasps is available for northeastern U.S. dairies however research pertaining to southern dairies is more limited. In efforts to provide better recommendations for using pteromalid wasps in southern dairies, the southern region SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) sponsored a research and education project.

During 2005, parasitoid wasps were collected from Arkansas, North Carolina and Mississippi dairies to determine the abundance and species composition of parasitoids in the dairy ecosystem. Ten species of parasitoid wasps in the family Pteromalidae, one in the family Chalcidae and one in the family Ichneumonidae were identified. Preliminary data from 2006 on percentage of house fly parasitism following weekly releases of Muscidifurax zaraptor and Muscidifurax raptorellus will be discussed.



Species 1: Diptera Muscidae Musca domestica (house fly)
Species 2: Hymenoptera Pteromalidae
Species 3: Diptera Muscidae Stomoxys calcitrans

[ Recorded presentation ] Recorded presentation

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