DIPTERAN DIVERSITY AND SEASONAL ABUNDANCE OF PEST DIPTERA IN WASHINGTON STATE CATTLE PASTURES, Holly Ferguson, Richard Zack, Sally O’Neal, and Douglas Walsh Washington State University Irrigated Agriculture Research & Extension Center N. Bunn Road, Prosser, WA 99350

Food Web for Arthropods in Cattle Dung Modified from Skidmore (1991) Predatory beetles and mites Dung-feeding beetles Fungivorous insects Predatory flies Mixed-diet flies Parasitic wasps Dung-feeding flies Cattle dung FungiFungi

Fly Pests of Cattle: Muscidae Dung-feeding Flies Face fly: common vector of pinkeye, reduces weight gain & milk production Horn fly: biting pest, causes bunching, reduces feeding, reduces weight gain, threshold is 200/animal Stable fly: biting pest, causes bunching, reduces feeding, reduces weight gain, threshold is 10/animal Muscaautumnalis Haematobiairritans Stomoxyscalcitrans

Fly Pests of Cattle: Simuliidae Called black flies, buffalo gnats Breed in flowing water Biting pest, nuisance, large numbers can kill

Fly Pests of Cattle: Culicidae Mosquitoes Breed in aquatic habitats Biting pest, causes bunching, reduces feeding, reduces weight gain, vector of pathogens

Fly Pests of Cattle: Tabanidae Deer flies and horse flies Breed in moist habitats- organic matter, larvae feed on other invertebrates, detritus? Biting pest, reduces weight gain, bite puncture wounds can damage hide

Fly Pests of Cattle: Ceratopogonidae Biting midges, punkies, “no-see- ums” Breed in moist habitats Biting pest, vector of blue tongue virus disease

Fly Pests of Cattle: Oestridae Northern cattle grub, common cattle grub Adults are called heel flies, resemble bees, cause “gadding” Larvae burrow into skin, migrate through body and pop out on back (myiasis), causing damage to hide

Counties Sampled in 2006 Snohomish Whitman Benton Yakima Kittitas (2) (1) (2)(1) (2)

Counties Sampled in 2007 Skagit Kittitas Benton Yakima Whitman Grant (3) (2) (1) (1) (2) (1)

Trapping and Sampling Methods: Flies yellow sticky card sticky stable fly trap baited fly bottle trap QuickBayt™ bait station QuickBayt™ CO 2 baited mosquito trap CO 2 baited mosquito trap aerial net sweep net of forage sweep net around cattle aerial net sweep net of forage sweep net around cattle pane trap

Face flies on polled Hereford Tom Harvey, K-State

Horn flies on black baldie

Tethinidae 43 fly families represented in the traps and samples from the cattle environment

Food Web for Arthropods in Cattle Dung Modified from Skidmore (1991) Predatory beetles and mites Dung-feeding beetles Fungivorous insects Predatory flies Mixed-diet flies Parasitic wasps Dung-feeding flies Cattle dung Fungi

Dipteran Habitats Dung Decaying vegetation Decomposing animals Fungi Grass and other plants Moist or aquatic habitats Parasites & predators

Yellow Sticky Card Fly Captures West of the Cascade Mountains Hereford with blind eye

Yellow Sticky Card Fly Captures East of the Cascade Mountains Kittitas and Yakima Counties Fresh sticky card on fenceline Sticky card collected and identifed

Yellow Sticky Card Fly Captures East of the Cascade Mountains Benton and Grant Counties

Conclusions Sticky traps catch a diversity of flies and are useful for tracking the relative abundance of face/house fly, stable fly, and black fly. Horn fly difficult to trap with methods used; digital photography is currently being used to assess horn fly abundance. Slightly more pest flies were trapped on sticky cards at east side locations, reasons unclear. Sammy 2008 Mascot WSU-RMA Beef Cattle Project

Counties Sampled in 2008 Skagit Island San Juan Kittitas YakimaBenton Whitman (1) (1) (3) (2) (2) (4) (1)

Acknowledgements We gratefully acknowledge the USDA, FCIC Risk Management Agency for funding this project. Technical assistance by Jackie Gregory, Mary Pearson, Megan Juzeler, Rebecca Razey, Tessa Andrews, Kathryn Holden, Nicole Grove, and Crystal Adams was greatly appreciated. And we especially thank the Happy Cows of Washington State!!