CONTROL OF HORN FLY (DIPTERA, MUSCIDAE) IN FLORIDA WITH AN AUSTRALIANTRAP

A newly developed Haematobia spp. trap is described, and results are p resented from field trials to reduce populations of adult horn fly, Ha ematobia irritans L., on 5 dairy farms in western Florida and Alabama during the summer of 1992. We compared Ay infestations on milkers subj ected to trapping, versus either dry cattle on the same farm or milker s on a nearby farm, without the trap but where traditional born fly co ntrol practices were used. Results gave 96.9% (95% CI, 93.8-98.4) redu ction compared with dry cattle with a mean count of 228 per animal, an d 90.2% (84.5-94.5%) compared with milkers on the control farms with a mean count of 113. Trapping removed the need to use insecticides to c ontrol this pest on milking dairy cattle and so offers a practical, en vironmentally acceptable, safe, and sustainable means of horn fly cont rol on cattle which pass through the trap regularly.