Light-Emitting Diode Light Traps as an Improved Method for Control of Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae)

Abstract

House flies, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), are ubiquitous and transmit scores of pathogens which cause human diseases (Scott & Lettig 1962, Greenberg 1965, Keiding 1986). As a result, their populations must be controlled in hospitals, schools and facilities that handle and/or sell food (grocery stores, restaurants, markets, etc.). Pathogens transmitted by house flies include bacteria causing diseases such as salmonellosis, anthrax, ophthalmia, shigellosis, tuberculosis, cholera, and infantile diarrhea; protozoa that cause amebic dysentery; helminthic infections such as pinworms, roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms; as well as viral and rickettsial infections. House flies can spread a deadly strain of Escherichia coli (Migula) Castellani & Chalmers (Enterobacteriaceae) (Sasaki et al. 2000) and other life threatening antibiotic resistant bacteria (Rahuma et al. 2005, Macovei & Zurek 2006) which constitute an ever increasing threat in hospitals and other healthcare facilities (Sundin 1996, Graczyk et al. 2001, Maisnier-Patin & Andersson 2004, Boulesteix et al. 2005). Numerous studies have shown that control of house flies can limit transmission of human diseases (Watt & Lindsay 1948, Lindsay et al. 1953, Bian et al. 2018). There are needs for non-chemical control of house flies in some environments where the use of insecticides can be problematic, such as restaurants, schools, grocery stores, hospitals, etc. Light traps represent an effective alternative to insecticides in these facilities. Insect light traps typically rely on a UV light source as an attractant, and a common trap design for house flies consists of a wall-mounted light source with a glue board situated behind the lights. House flies are attracted most strongly to wavelengths between 310 and 370 nm (Thimijan& Pickens 1973), and their attraction to the light source depends on the intensity of the light source (Thimijan & Pickens 1973), the design of the trap (Thimijan & Pickens 1973, Pickens & Thimijan 1986, Syms &Goodman 1987, Rutz et al. 1988, Roberts et al. 1992, Hogsette 2008) and the on/off cycle (Hogsette 2019). UV light based traps have