The Influence of Various Levels of Ground Ear Corn and Alfalfa Hay in the Bovine Diet on the Development of the Face Fly 1

Abstract

Ground ear corn was fed to an Angus cow in increasing percentages to study the effect of fecal pH, percent fecal moisture, and percent fecal crude protein on larval mortality and pupal weight of the face fly, Musca autumnalis DeGeer. As the percent ground ear corn in the bovine diet increased, the percent mortality of face fly larvae developing in the feces tended to increase, with 100% mortality occurring in the feces after the bovine had consumed 5.448 kg of ground ear corn. Fecal pH fell from 6.92 to 5.58 and percent moisture and percent crude protein varied slightly as the percent ground ear corn in the diet increased.