The effect of sublethal pesticide exposure on Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae) flight using a flight mill

The housefly, M. domestica, is the most common domestic fly species all over the world, and widely considered a pest, in part due to its role as a vector of pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Campylobacter sp. and Hepatitis A & E. Thus, the impact of M. domestica is of interest to the agricultural industry, and the healthcare industry, which thus gives it importance to the worldwide public.This research focused on impact of flight in M. domestica following sublethal exposure of pesticides and used a commonly used active ingredient, beta-cyfluthrin. Flies were exposed by short duration contact to serial dilutions of commercially formulated beta-cyfluthrin until three suitable sublethal doses were obtained. The post-exposure consequences of twenty-five females were evaluated for each treatment dose on an automated flight mill. An Arduino microcontroller sent a time stamp for each LED beam interruption from the light sensor to a custom program, Moth Hamster Wheel, which recorded the times and calculated speed and distance flown. These data were then compiled and analyzed.  MothHamsterWheel is an open source automated software for flight mill studies specifically developed for this study. Results and implications of this research for agricultural and medical applications are discussed. This flight mill and program are currently being evaluated for long-distance flight studies for other insects, including the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri).