Development of Flies and their control in Poultry Premises

Alok Kumar Singh^1#, Deepali Tiwari², Pradeep Kumar³ and Nitin D. Hirani⁴

¹Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary Science & A.H., Rewa

²B.V.Sc & A.H., Student, College of Veterinary Science & A.H., Rewa

³Department of Veterinary Parasitology, COVSc & A.H., DUVASU, Mathura

⁴Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary College, Kamdhenu University, Anand

^#corresponding author- email: alok122@gmail.com

Flies create health problems for both human being and poultry. A poor management may lead to public health nuisance around poultry houses. Common primary flies encounter are housefly, black garbage fly and little house fly. These fly may cover large distance as house fly is reported to travel 25 miles, black garbage fly for 4 to 5 miles and little house fly for 1 to 2 miles. Majorly filth flies also carries pathogenic organism during travelling to new places i.e. salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, listeriosis, E.coli etc. causing food borne infection to human and also diseases in poultry birds. However these flies usually remain close to their original breeding source but in search of better place for more favourable conditions may travel to a distance hence proper fly population is essential to avoid outbreak of disease in animal population.

Common flies associated with poultry manure and litter

House fly:

Musca domestica is major species associated with poultry manure. These breed in moist, decaying plant material spilled grain and feed in all kind of manure. These fly remain active in sunny weather and sit over filth, food products, people etc. Poor sanitation attracts flies for breeding and transmits various diseases like protozoal, viral, bacterial, rickettsial disease etc. where fly act as mechanical vector.

Morphology

• Fly adult measure about ¼ inch in length, dull grey in colour with sponging mouth part, have 4 black strips on thorax.
• Female lays egg on cracks and crevices under beddings where lay 2-7 batch of 100-150 eggs in 3-5 days interval.
• Egg is generally white, cylindrical, and maggots develop after 12-24 hours.
• Maggots undergo stage change to reddish brown puparium within 4-7 days and finally convert fly.
• Optimum temperature is required for stages conversion. Lifecycle increases with decrease in temperature. High light intensity during day time increase activity while decreases during night hours and ceases below 45^????F.
• Flies generally found in ceiling, fans, walls inside and outside poultry house including vegetation. In these resting area “fly specks “which are light colour regurgitated and darker faecal spots.

Little house fly (Fannia canicularis)

• These fly look like house fly but smaller in size, adult measure around 3/16 inch in length and 3 brown strips found on thorax.
•  Generally breed in less moist environmental which is normally preferred by house fly i.e. in poultry manure. These flies found near litter house floor, open ventilation also near human residency like branches, weed, side of building but causes less nuisance as settle less over food items.
• Flies prefer cooler climate so mainly population increase in early spring and decline in mid summer as temperature increase and decrease heat tolerance.
• Fly can be seen encircling light source in poultry house like hover. Aimless circling around hanging source is commonly seen.
• Eggs are laid on decaying material which converts to larvae in 36-48 hrs. Larvae are mainly brown, flatten spiny and convert to puparium within 8 days.
• Pupa converts to larvae within 8 days and lifecycle completes in 18 -22 days depending upon temperature.
• This fly mainly associate with spread of exotic new castle disease.

Dump fly (Black garbage fly)

• This fly have shiny bronze coat colour and have similar lifecycle as house fly i.e. about 14-45 days.
• These flies live only under favourable temperature. Egg batch out within 12-16 hrs and larvae stage resemble house fly minimum of 5 days, while pupal stage for 4 days and adult for 14- 20 days.
• Unlike housefly and little fly this fly generally found over food items at night also.
• Garbage fly larvae are predaceous in nature which feed other fly larvae controlling its population and itself grows its population.
• Many disease can be transmitted like salmonella, Ecoli, campylobacteriosis etc. through its body surface or digestive tract vomit over feeding surface.

Control of Fly:

To minimize losses in poultry farm it’s is necessary to control breeding population of flies which can be achieved by integrated pest management programme involved following methods.

• Monitoring of Population:
• This method is used to estimate number of flies disperse to area of human population which can possibly spread infection.
• Different method can be used to estimate size is “moving tape count “in which use same walk pattern in same time use sticky tape which can catch 25-75 flies per 1000 feet indicates the number.

• Fly spot count:
• It’s another monitoring tool where card 3×5 inch is flush against feeding trough, ceiling, braces and other feeding area which is left for 1 week.
• At least 3 cards to be placed and it give idea of activity of flies within week but it does not indicate type of fly.
• If average 100 spots are found within 1 week, control measure it is very inexpensive and easy method for documentation.

• Baited jug trap:   
• This is expensive method in which jug is placed 3 feet above ground by hanging thread. It consist of plastic jug with 2 inch diameter hole access to flies.
• In this pheromone are places which attract flies and presence indicates need for control of flies population.
• In poultry house hot spots containing poultry eggs and larvae to be identified and proper treatment with insecticide to be done to effective control fly population.

• Cultural control:
• It is integration of manure, water management and sanitation which decreases fly breeding and break lifecycle continuity leading to population control.

• Manure management: 
• It acts as breeding ground for flies in which lay its egg. Moisture content is essential for survival of larvae.
• Moisture of material below 30 % is optimum and normally poultry manure contains 70-80 % moisture which is ideal for breeding flies.
• To overcome this problem dry manure is used which is made by reducing moisture content by spreading over floor in sunlight and avoid piling up.
• Management of dry manure is comparatively easy and can be used for several years.

• Water management:
• Water content is essential to provide suitable environment for breeding and avoid pipe leakage and proper graded floor should be made to avoid stagnation.
• Clean water should be available for birds and temperature should be maintained in hot weather.

• Sanitation:  
• Quickly remove dead birds, broken eggs from litter and properly dispose away from poultry house by incineration or dumping deep on ground.
• Avoid stagnation of rainwater around poultry farm by proper drainage system as it provides breeding spot for flies.
• Restrict flies immigration from infected animal to healthy animal in farm.

• Mechanical control:
• Fly traps are available in market which restricts entry of flies into eggs room.
• Electrical trap in which grid contain current supply is installed in gate and window of important room .some bait contain fly attractant material.  
• Fan can be also used in egg room which provide resistance to entry of flies as it cannot move against strong wind. Sticky fly trap can be used when required.

• Chemical control:
• Insecticidal control includes application of chemicals to kill fly either hampering their metabolic activity.
• It should be practiced along with sanitation to increase its efficiency of population control of flies.
• Different measures are larvicidal spray, adulticide spray and baits and surface treatment.  
• Insecticide should be used wisely as it develops resistance and should be used alternately with different group of chemicals to prevent resistance development in insects.

• Larvicidal spray:
• This is mix with manure to kill maggots found in manure. But it only provide short term benefit hence repeated application to be done but it can also add moisture to manure which provide beneficial environment for further  larvae growth.
• Larvicidal spray have poor penetration power hence less number of larvae can be killed hence it is useful in small area having large number of maggots of flies.
• Over use should be avoided as it also kills useful insects of manure beneficial for fly.

• Larvacide feeding trough:
• Larvicide utilises cyromazine (Larvadex) insect growth regulator.
• Mixed with poultry feed ration except for broiler breeder this larvicide work by killing immature stage of fly and cause little harm to manure or feed micro flora.
• This should not be given continuous if active maggots are not visible than discontinue till optimum level of flies.
• During winter check for fly population and limit its use for consecutive months within year. Manure from animal fed Larvadex can be using i.e. not more than 3 tons per acre per year. These are mainly used for spot treatment.

1. Adulticidal baits:
2. Cheap and easy to use which kill flies which are escape other methods of control.
3. Combine bait with other methods for effective control and place it over egg tray or cardboard panel to avoid fall into manure.

1. Adulticidal space spray:
2. Contains pyrethrins, or combination of dichlorovs and synthetic pyretherin which kills adult flies enclosed in air space.
3. These have minimum residual which decreases chances of resistance but should be used wisely.
4. Do not spray over birds and use minimum over poultry house.

• Biological control:
• It’s contribute to overall control programme where natural predator use to kill insects.
• Such as macrochelid mites; Macrocheles muscaedomesticae, it is reddish brown 1/16 inch long it consumes 20 eggs per day and feed over eggs and first instar.
• Parasitic wasp which is about size of housefly and specifically attract to them to lay eggs over puparium where developing larvae of wasp consume puparium. But these are not enough since it laid egg less than flies. So producer should use artificially adapted wasp but other insecticide chemical should be used wisely to avoid killing of useful wasp.
• Integrated use of all measure ensures proper population control of fly and minimum harm to poultry houses.
• With all above measures and control strategies minimal loss due to flies can occur .proper monitoring of flies population in premises ensure control of nuisance.