House fly (Musca domestica) responses to insect honeydew

Filth flies, such as house flies (Musca domestica), are urban and agricultural pests of medical and veterinary importance. They have been identified as carriers and mechanical vectors of food-borne pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Campylobacter. House flies may pose a food safety risk by acquiring food-borne pathogens at animal facilities then dispersing to nearby human food crops, on which flies may deposit these pathogens. Evidence in the field suggests that house flies are attracted to honeydew produced by plant-feeding insects such as scale and mealybugs. Using a behavioral bioassay, we have examined whether honeydew is an attractant for house flies. Volatiles were collected from the honeydew and characterized using gas chromatography – electroantennogram detection (GC-EAD) and gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This information can be used for the development of new attractive bait technologies for fly control.