Efficacy of Beauveria bassiana for Controlling the House Fly and Stable Fly (Diptera: Muscidae)

• Published in: Biological control Vol. 5; no. 3; pp. 405 - 411
• Main Authors: Watson, D.W., Geden, C.J., Long, S.J., Rutz, D.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.09.1995
• Subjects: ADULTE; ADULTOS; ADULTS; APPLICATION RATES; AUXILIAIRE DE LUTTE BIOLOGIQUE; BEAUVERIA BASSIANA; BIOLOGICAL CONTROL; BIOLOGICAL CONTROL ORGANISMS; CHAMPIGNON ENTOMOPATHOGENE; CONIDIA; CONTROL BIOLOGICO; CONTROL DE INSECTOS; DOSE D'APPLICATION; DOSIS DE APLICACION; DUSTS; ENTOMOGENOUS FUNGI; ESPORAS FUNGICAS; FORMULACIONES; FORMULATION; FORMULATIONS; FUNGAL SPORES; HONGOS ENTOMOPATOGENOS; INOCULUM DENSITY; INSECT CONTROL; LARVAE; LARVAS; LARVE; LUTTE ANTIINSECTE; LUTTE BIOLOGIQUE; MUSCA DOMESTICA; ORGANISMOS PARA CONTROL BIOLOGICO; PATHOGENICITY; PATOGENICIDAD; POUVOIR PATHOGENE; SOLUCION; SOLUTION; SOLUTIONS; SPORE FONGIQUE; STOMOXYS CALCITRANS; STRAINS
• ISSN: 1049-9644; 1090-2112
• DOI: 10.1006/bcon.1995.1048

Two strains of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (P89 and L90) were evaluated for pathogenicity to adult and larval house flies, Musca domestica L., and the adult stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.). B. bassiana conidia formulated as a dust or aqueous solution were applied to plywood surfaces. Adult flies of both species were exposed to the treated plywood surfaces for 3 h. House fly mortality was dose dependent, with ≥ 90% dying at 1 × 10 8 conidia/cm 2 (high dose) for strains P89 and L90 formulated as dusts. Stable flies were not as susceptible as house flies to either pathogen strain. In similar experiments, a high dose of 1 × 10 8 conidia/cm 2 killed only 70 and 84% of the adult stable flies exposed to strains P89 and L90, respectively. A dose response was evident for medium (1 × 10 7 conidia/cm 2) and low doses (1 × 10 6 conidia/cm 2) for both species of flies. Aqueous formulations were less effective for controlling both species of adult flies than for dust formulations. B. bassiana lost pathogenicity over time and plywood treated 28 days before host exposure retained little residual effect on flies. In larval bioassays, B. bassiana was most effective against the house fly at 1 × 10 10 conidia/cm 3, at which 56 and 48% of the house fly larvae died following a high-dose treatment with strains L90 and P89, respectively. A dose response also was observed for the medium (1 × 10 9 conidia/cm 3) and low doses (1 × 10 8 conidia/cm 3).