Using a single product over a prolonged period of time will inevitably increase the resistance that flies have over a particular pest contro...
Alternating fly control options applied to manure heaps that harbour fly eggs and larvae this summer will be vital to combat growing concerns of resistance.
With recent product revocations, relying on fewer fly treatment options will increase the risk of pests building up resistance to treatments. This could reduce the number of effective control agents even further and a number of livestock farms have already been reporting reduced efficacy from existing fly control programmes.
The solution is a planned strategy that includes different types of control. Knockdown of adult populations with aerial sprays is only part of the solution.
Flies spend between 1 and 8 weeks of their lifecycle as eggs or maggots depending on the time of year, thriving anywhere that organic waste is present. Manure heaps represent ideal fly breeding grounds. Targeting these areas will deliver control by breaking the breeding cycle.
It should be noted that the growth regulating insecticides, which target eggs and larvae will have an increasingly important role, both in managing resistance and as a solution with an improved environmental profile compared to some other treatments.
Applied directly to the surface of organic matter, Dimilin is active against eggs and the developing larvae, and is used worldwide for the control of flies, mosquitoes and other dipterous pests. Dimilin provides a new approach to breaking the fly lifecycle and has no cross resistance to existing treatments.
As an insect growth regulator, the way it acts on the pest is different to conventional neurotoxic insecticides. In addition, there is also no known resistance to Dimilin, but best practice demands that it is used as part of an integrated pest control programme, with repetitive treatments of any one product avoided.
Applied with a knapsack or boom sprayer, control with Dimilin will be achieved within 2-3 weeks when used in a programme.
If 2007 is anything to go by, we still have a number of months remaining of the fly season, and with spells of continued high temperatures promised, fly populations are likely to see significant increases.
Of course, Dimilin is not the sole effective product in the fight against flies, you should also consider a Deltamethrin based solution as protection.