Responses to electrified targets and daily activity of Stomoxys spp. (Diptera : Muscidae) in Zimbabwe

Responses of Stomoxys spp. to electrified targets (1 x 1 m) that differed i n pattern and colour were investigated over a three month period at Rekomit jie Research Station, Zimbabwe. In the first experiment, a target baited wi th a blue and black cloth insert caught more flies (315 +/- 117) than a tar get baited with blue cloth insert (202 +/- 69). Next, a blue-cloth baited t arget caught more flies (491 +/- 150) than a black-cloth baited target (164 +/- 69) and a target containing a cloth with a black diamond on a blue bac kground caught more flies (997 +/- 326) than a target containing a cloth wi th a black square on a blue background (680 +/- 125). Finally, a target fit ted with a cloth consisting of a vertically oriented black stripe on a blue background caught almost three times as many flies (1366 +/- 356) as a tar get fitted with a cloth consisting of a horizontally oriented black stripe on a blue background (545 +/- 150). Hourly collections of Stomoxys spp. fro m a blue and black target, baited with and without carbon dioxide, indicate d that daily activity was bimodal, with a small morning peak and a large la te afternoon peak.