INSECTICIDE RESISTANCE IN FLIES (DIPTERA: MUSCIDAE) FROM POULTRY FARMS

Abstract Populations of the house fly, Musca domestica L., and the false stable fly, Muscina stabulans (Fallén), collected on poultry farms west of Sydney were tested against insecticides by topical application. House flies were resistant to the organophosphorus insecticides diazinon, azamethiphos, trichlorphon and malathion and to the carbamate, propoxur. No resistance was detected to the synthetic pyrethroid, permethrin. Resistance factors were generally low for azamethiphos (3x–10x) and somwhat higher for diazinon (8x–22x). A proportion of field flies could survive very high doses of malathion, trichlorphon and propoxur, and resistance factors could not be determined. No resistance to any of the above insecticides was detected in populations of false stable flies. M. stabulans was between 2 and 35 times more susceptible to these insecticides than susceptible house flies, except for permethrin which was equitoxic to both species.