CONTROL OF HOUSE-FLY POPULATIONS BY ENTOMOPHTHORA-MUSCAE (ZYGOMYCOTINA, ENTOMOPHTHORALES) IN A POULTRY HOUSE

Entomophthora muscae was introduced into model populations of house fl ies in an experimental windowless poultry house. Four hundred to 500 h ealthy flies were reared in 50 m(3) poultry rooms with 10 and 50 flies respectively infected with E. muscae. When the living infected flies were released into the room, they died within 7 days and the disease p revailed on non-injected flies with a peak of mortality about 18 days after the introduction. More than 90% of the initially healthy flies w ere killed by the disease including secondary infection over a period of 33 days. When conidia-discharging cadavers were attached to the ins ide of the room, the non-injected flies started to die 6 days after in troduction of the cadavers and about 90% of the flies were killed incl uding secondary infection within 20 days. Thus, epizootics of E. musca e could be induced by the introduction of living infected flies or fre sh fly cadavers in a practical scale poultry house.