A method of evaluating the adult fly population in and around an animal production facility is needed to design and evaluate a fly control programme.
Systematic monitoring provides a measure of the success or failure of control methods, and serves as an early warning system so that changes can be initiated before a crisis develops.
Monitoring also provides the information needed to time adulticide applications.
Larvae monitoring provides the information needed to use larvicides, and for making changes in cultural practices.
Casual, subjective observations on fly numbers can be misleading and systematic monitoring is more objective and reliable.
Lawsuits sometimes arise in connection with flies alleged to come from animal production facilities, and quantitative data from systematic fly monitoring can become important.
Monitoring is a key component of an integrated fly control programme.
Different ways of monitoring populations of adult flies include: fly grids, resting counts, sticky fly ribbons, baited jugtraps and spot cards.
These methods are directed primarily at obtaining a measure of the numbers of house flies, the principal pest. Different methods have different capacities to reveal which species of flies are present.
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