Summary
LuciTrap is a selective trapping system for the Australian sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina. Improvements have been made to LuciLure, the synthetic attractant used in the trap, and LuciTrap. The shelf life of LuciLure was extended from four months to two years by separating two reacting components to produce a new, 3-bottle LuciLure. The concentrations of all components in the new LuciLure were >97 per cent of the original concentrations after 56 days at 50oC. The new LuciLure was as effective as the original lure in catching L. cuprina (mean catch 56 and 63 flies per trap and period respectively, no significant difference). The LuciTrap with a new, more transparent bucket caught more L. cuprina (mean per trap and period 55) than with the original trap bucket (mean 49, difference not significant). These improvements make the LuciTrap an even more attractive component of any control strategy for sheep blowflies.
 
 

Summary
Flies were trapped on a wide range of properties throughout Tasmania using the commercially available Lucitrap^®. Features contributing to variation in Lucilia cuprina catch between traps were identified. Some additional features were tested by attaching traps near or far from identified features or using traps in pairs on the same post.

One property was trapped in a regular grid rather than using selected "good" trap sites. This confirmed the guidelines previously used to select trap sites.

In Tasmania flytraps are most effective in sites near water, exposed to the sun, but sheltered from the wind and attached to posts rather than trees. The lures must be replaced every three months and the traps must be cleaned each year.
 
 

Summary
A brief review is presented of experiments in New Zealand where flytraps have been used as a means of preventing flystrike. In one, 150 L bait-bins containing offal were deployed on an "organic" farm without an untrapped control property for comparison. This feature of the design and the associated low flystrike prevalence over the three "seasons" of the trial meant no definite conclusion could be reached as to the efficacy of the flytraps. A second experiment had adequate controls but found that 200L bait-bins containing offal did not reduce the prevalence of flystrike in comparison with other sheep in the absence of flytraps. This experiment was of short duration and was carried out at the height of blowfly activity. A third experiment, also using 200L offal-baited bins, extended from before flystrike was expected to the end of blowfly activity. It was shown that sheep in the presence of the traps (at a density of about 0.2 traps/ha) had 34 % fewer strikes (P=0.11) than other sheep in the absence of flytraps. The traps were moved with the sheep as they changed paddocks to new grazing. Finally, a group of 15 farmers on large properties with fine-wooled sheep employed 10L offal-baited buckets which were used both as static traps and moved with sheep to new grazing. Two properties acted as controls. Problems associated with maintenance of the traps and other imperatives of farm management provided inconclusive results, although employing the traps was seen as beneficial by some farmers and certainly provided a focus for improving knowledge about blowflies and flystrike.

Overall it was concluded that flytraps may have the ability to reduce flystrike prevalence but this has not been demonstrated in this series of experiments. If flytraps can be consistently effective they have a role to play as one of the components of a fully integrated flystrike management programme.
 
 

Summary
The large-scale trapping of blowflies of the genus Lucilia, using an insecticide free trapping system (Lucitrap®), was evaluated for use in an integrated pest management program in the Western Cape. Traps were set at three localities in the 2 cropping-pasture areas of the Swartland and South Coast regions. These areas were referred to as suppression areas, on the assumption that trapping will affect the Lucilia populations therein. Control sites, where no suppression was practiced, were identified for each of these localities. The Lucilia population was monitored for 48hours at each of the localities on a monthly basis. Five traps were used to monitor the blowfly populations within each of the suppression areas and the adjacent control areas. In the Swartland region, the overall yield of flies of the genus Lucilia was lower (P<0.05) in the suppression areas than in the neighbouring control areas over a 30-month period from October 1998 to March 2001 (7.9 vs. 6.2 flies per trap, respectively). Designation of the monitoring trap, however, interacted with month, possibly owing to very low catches during winter, when fly numbers trapped did not differ from zero. During the last two months of the experimental period, higher Lucilia numbers were also found in the suppression area. In the South Coast localities, Lucilia numbers were also reduced (P<0.01) in the suppression areas compared to the control areas over the 30-month trial period. Respective overall means in the Caledon area were 22.3 vs. 10.8 flies per trap, i.e. a reduction of 51.6%. Corresponding means in the Riviersonderend area were 18.4 vs. 12.6 flies per trap, i.e. a reduction of 31.5%. Geometric means for blowfly numbers at all three localities were generally > 100 flies per trap for spring and early summer. It was concluded that large-scale trapping of blowflies may be of value in an integrated pest management system. Further work is being conducted.
 
 

Summary
LuciTrap — a novel blowfly trapping system based on synthetic kairomones that preferentially attract Lucilia cuprina — was assessed for effectiveness using a field trial conducted in southern Queensland and field use by four groups of woolgrowers located near Stanthorpe (Traprock Wool group), Goondiwindi, Bollon and Cunnamulla (Noorama group). The trial consisted of paired (treatment, control) groups of sheep on two properties. A total of 2149 sheep were enrolled in the trial. Trap use resulted in up to 46 per cent reduction in flystrike.

LuciTrap group members were responsible for planning and implementing how the traps were used and for collecting information to assess the usefulness of the traps under commercial sheep and wool production conditions. The Stanthorpe and Cunnamulla groups were formed in 1998 and the Goondiwindi and Bollon groups were formed in 1999. Approximately 203 000 sheep (representing >2 per cent of the Queensland sheep population) were grazed within these groups. The group approach has provided valuable feedback on trap design and strategies for using traps. Support for the four groups ended in June 2001.
 
 

Summary
An analysis of 2-hourly catches of the blowfly, Lucilia cuprina, in 10 wind-oriented fly traps on 34 trapping days (06.00 – 18.00h) during the period November 1984 – May 1985 indicated that air temperature was the principal factor regulating the number of insects caught. Small but significant effects were associated with radiation, time of day and relative humidity; effects due to wind were not significant. Temperature (T°C), within days, accounted 62% of the explained deviance, this value increasing to 71.8% with the inclusion of all significant variables. Using temperature alone, the adjusted hourly catch rate, R, can be derived from the expression: R _ij = exp(0.9396T - 0.0156T² - 14.148). When radiation (RAD, mWh/cm²) is included, R_ij = exp(0.7781T - 0.0127T ² - 0.0126RAD - 13.488). The age structure of trapped females in wind-oriented traps is shown to differ significantly from that obtained with West Australian traps and probably reflects differences in bait composition. Methods are given to correct wind-oriented trap catches for differences in trappability between males and females and between females of differing physiological age. The transformation of catches of wild flies into estimates of relative and absolute population density is also described.
 
 

Summary
This ten year study investigates the seasonality of the blowfly Lucilia cuprina in far western New South Wales by using time series analysis. The effect of using bait bins as a management tool was also investigated by using interrupted (intervention) time series analysis. Lucilia cuprina showed a strong seasonal abundance. There was a positive correlation between sheep strike and the previous month’s L. cuprina numbers, and a negative correlation between strike and the population numbers of L. cuprina from two month’s previous. Sheep strike was correlated with the previous month’s rainfall. The results from the interrupted time series analysis indicated that there were no significant effects of bait bins on L. cuprina population numbers, or on the incidence of sheep strike.

Summary
Lucitraps were used on 60 properties (2 to 4 traps each) throughout Tasmania for between 1 and 3 years to monitor fly numbers and compare these with reports of flystrike. The number of flies trapped varied widely between different properties in the same district but individual properties had consistently high or low fly catches. This was related to the actual risk of flystrike at each property.

On 16 other properties fly-traps were used at 1 trap per 100 sheep and provided information on the areas of high fly activity within the property. This could be used to find safer paddocks for sheep at most risk or indicate which mobs require protective treatment and mobs that can safely be left untreated. Monitoring can also be used to determine the number of active flies at different times during the fly season.

The owners of the properties with a high trap density believed that flystrike would have been worse without the fly-traps, particularly in the second year of the 3 year study when the incidence of flystrike was high throughout the state. However, the traps did not provide a major reduction in flystrike, nor allow a substantial reduction in treatments. We suggest that the rate of use of 1 trap per 100 sheep may not be adequate in all cases.

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