Evaluation of Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae) behavioral response to human and related odors in a triple cage olfactometer with insect traps

ALZOGARAY RA; CARLSON DA

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY

ENTOMOLOGICAL SOC AMER

Lugar: Lanham MD (USA); Año: 2000 vol. 37 p. 308 - 315

0022-2585

A triple cage olfactometer provided with insect traps was used for evaluating behavioral responses of Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) females to human skin and breath, and L-lactic acid analogs. After demostrating there were no significant differences caused by cage location or time of day, 3 sets of 3 olfactometer tests were performed in a day, every 2 h beginning at 0900 hours. When a human hand was used as attractant, the attraction (expressed as percentage of trapped flies) increased as a function of the time; an inverted U-shaped relationship between attractancy and air speed was observed; and variation in fly density in the range 25-72 per cage did not affect the attraction response. When human breath was used as attractant, the attraction increased linearly as a function of time and it was exhalation frequency dependent; when air flow was absent, the highest response was observed; and 24- to 48-h-old flies were more attracted than younger and older. When CO2 was tested, activation, orientation and probing behavior were concentration dependent with flows ranging between 0.0001 and 0.038 liters/s, but attraction was not. No attraction was observed with 10, 100, or 1,000 µg of compounds related to L-lactic acid and several synthetic human odors and related compounds, although orientation was often observed.