Mass Rearing of the Horn Fly, Haematobia irritans (Diptera: Muscidae), in the Laboratory2

Abstract

A laboratory technique was developed for mass-rearing the horn fly, Haematobia irritans (L.), entirely off the host. The rooms that house adults and larvae each have controlled temperature and humidity and appropriate lighting. Adult cages are 21.5-cm² wire frames with plastic-screen covers designed to house about 5000 flies each. The adult diet, whole, nonaseptic beef blood containing acid citrate dextrose, nystatin, and chloramphenicol, is offered to the flies on cotton pads. Eggs collected on cotton pads covered with wet cheesecloth and placed under the adult cages are then transferred to trays of bovine manure. Pupae are separated from the manure by agitating the contents of the trays in a washing machine and then skimming the pupae off the surface of the water; they are then air-dried before being placed in a cup for emergence. The average cycle from egg to adult is 12 days and from egg to egg is 17 days.