Behavioral response of parous black flies (Simulium vittatum) to potential attractants in a dual-choice olfactometer

Potential host odor attractants for the black fly, Simulium vittatum, were investigated using a dual-choice olfactometer. Attractants or blends of attractants that are attractive to parous females could potentially be used as a bait, or component of a bait on a trap to capture females seeking a blood meal.  Such a trap could have great value in monitoring black fly populations for infectious disease agents for vector borne diseases such as onchocerciasis. This is the first laboratory study using potential attractants in a dual-choice olfactometer with host seeking black flies to determine levels of response to attractants known to elicit a positive response from blood feeding dipterans. Potential attractants investigated included carbon dioxide, 1-octen-3-ol, lactic acid, and ammonia.