University of Kentucky College of Agriculture House flies and stable flies are common pests around horse barns, stables, and corrals. Going Low Tech. Europe's largest knowledge database on pests.Copying and reproduction without permission is prosecuted without prior notice, The active substances, venom, poison and saliva, Flea control in the surrounding environment, If the European pigeon ticks are not controlled, Infection and the spreading between animals. In North America they are known as "horse flies" or "breeze-flies", and in Australia and the UK they are known as "March flies", a name used in other Anglophonic countries to … [2], The stable fly resembles the common housefly (Musca domestica), though smaller, and on closer examination has a slightly wider and spotted abdomen. Adults actively feed during sunny days and generally feed on the lower parts of animals. Stable flies typically appear during midspring, they become severe during summer, and numbers tend to decrease in late summer, although more recently they have been around during winter months as well. Stable flies are common around confined animal rearing facilities, but can also be pests in open pastures. The stable fly is another fly which is often casually mistaken for the house fly. They usually appear in the late summer to fall, and they typically bite in the morning or late afternoon. Stable flies are important pests of cattle and numbers present in an area are commonly monitored with sticky panels. The adult female lives for four to six weeks in the laboratory but around seven to ten days in the field, and during this time she lays multiple clutches of eggs. Each clutch may contain 60-130 eggs, which are laid in small groups within a suitable substrate. Stable fly, (Stomoxys calcitrans), a species of vicious bloodsucking fly in the family Muscidae (sometimes placed in the family Stomoxyidae) in the fly order, Diptera. The adults have a piercing/sucking proboscis that is used to extract a bloodmeal and seven circular black spots on a gray abdomen. Since most barns and farm animal quarters are open, stable flies will fly in and establish themselves with ease. [3] Adults are generally about 6–8 mm (1⁄4–5⁄16 inch) in length and a lighter color than the housefly. Un-infested areas thus can become heavily infested almost overnight. Stable flies overwinter in breeding sites and emerge the following spring as adults. Photo by Sonja Swiger They require the blood meal for reproduction. The bites may feel like a needle stab and typically occur around the ankles and lower parts of the legs. Each female fly may lay up to 800 eggs in her lifetime, with each clutch requiring a separate blood meal. Its maggots are often seen in the rotting manure near cattle and poultry. 3) are most abundant near animal shelters, calf pens, and isolated trees used by animals for shade. David Gould. Stable flies are a species of biting fly that breed in manure and are particularly bothersome to horses. Stable Flies overwinter as larvae or pupae. The duration is highly dependent on temperature and nutrient quality available for the larvae. The stable fly In late summer, people often say that now flies have started to bite. ‘House flies, stable flies and blow flies may be pests of dairy cattle kept on lots.’ More example sentences ‘You probably will recognize some of the suspects: horsefly/deer fly, stable fly, housefly, black fly, hornfly, face fly, culicoides, and mosquito.’ [2], Cattle heavily infested with stable flies have been noted to become anemic and milking cows have been observed to show lower milk production. Persistent house flies are very annoying and potential carriers of human and animal pathogens. They bite people, livestock, pets and other mammals. Despite its name, the stable fly is actually much less common around stables than is the house fly. In many parts of the world, the species is a carrier of trypanosomid parasites. Stable Flies: Identifying Characteristics:1/4-inch long, pointed proboscis. Stable flies resemble common houselfies, only stable flies are lighter in color, smaller, faster flyers, and most important, they inflict painful bites to humans. Both the male and female stable flies take a bloodmeal. They have several stripes on their bodies. On dogs or similar sized animals, stable flies typically feed around the periphery of the ears earning them another common name "dog flies." To keep their numbers down, it is best to regularly muck out your stables and remove manure. It is brownish gray, the outer of four thoracic stripes is broken, and the abdomen has a checkered appearance. You need a Stable Fly Trap to get them and the StarBar® Bite Free is the best one available. The stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans, is often called the biting house fly. Stable flies also known as "biting flies" can deliver a painful bite. Creating Apple Cider Vinegar and Witch Hazel fly Repellent: This is a natural outdoor fly repellent … It is about the same in size and general appearance as Musca domestica, the house fly. Persistent house flies are very annoying and potential carriers of human and animal pathogens. [6] The stable fly bites humans at rest in the outdoors. Each stable fly female produces about 500 eggs, and it takes from 20 to 60 days for them to complete their life cycle. University of Kentucky College of Agriculture House flies and stable flies are common pests around horse barns, stables, and corrals. [9] Unlike most members of the family Muscidae, Stomoxys calcitrans ('sharp mouth' + 'kicking') and others of its genus suck blood from mammals. Unfortunately, these flies are abundant in upstate New York, particularly in areas around the Great Lakes. In fact, I would recommend cleaning out manure from your stables, yards, and fields as often as you can to keep these pests at bay. Stable flies breed in moist, decaying organic matter. Stable flies breed in soggy hay, grasses, piles of moist fermenting weed, grass cuttings, peanut litter, seaweed deposits along beaches, in soiled straw bedding, and … They typically live in damp places located in forested areas. The life cycle has a duration of about two weeks at temperatures around 27 °C (81 °F). Unlike the housefly, where the mouth part is adapted for sponging, the stable fly mouth parts have biting structures. The Spearwort Fields. In the same same family as houseflies, stable flies look like small houseflies, but both males and females bite. Now found worldwide, the species is considered to be of Eurasian origin. 10 August 2013. This shows the catch - here a mixture of tsetse flies (Glossina austeni) and Stomoxys - being removed from a sticky panel used to sample biting flies in Bodhai in the Garissa district of Kenya. Stable flies are painful biting filth flies that resemble the house fly in appearance but just a tad bit smaller in size (5-7 mm long). There are products we can steer you toward which is a thing known as a predatory fly parasite. Stable Flies can move great distances. [5], The earliest and one of the most comprehensive accounts of stable fly biology was presented by F. Bishop in 1913. They need moist areas to live and will do so in hay, straw, chicken manure, and coastal weeds. David Gould. Stomoxys calcitrans is commonly called the stable fly, barn fly, biting house fly, dog fly, or power mower fly. These flies are able to develop as larvae in the rotted hay at the base of improperly stored large hay bales. Stable flies are usually found in open sunny areas, although they may enter a house during bad weather. The female takes approximately 2–5 minutes to engorge, after which it becomes sluggish for a while. Now found worldwide, the species is considered to be of Eurasian origin. Adult Occurrence: More common in warm months,after a rain. The upper surface of the stable fly’s abdomen is marked with a number of dark, circular spots not found on the house fly. Stable flies Stable flies are small and gray. Bishop (1913) noted that the larvae can endure for more than 30 days in less nutritious environs. Bite Free™ Stable Fly Trap Bite Free™ Stable Fly Trap Easy-to-use fly control trap; Fly control for the low level of barns and outdoor areas; Flies are attracted to translucent surface when sunlight shines through; Weatherproof adhesive surface won’t melt or wash away; Sizes Available Adhesive Fly Trap. [8] Snipe Flies These pests are close relatives of deer flies. There are many fly control options and strategies available to Nebraska livestock producers to help manage the three fly species that economically impact grazing cattle; the horn fly, face fly and stable fly. Stable flies can complete their life cycle in as little as three weeks. Stable flies are very persistent when searching for a blood meal. Vulcan Termite and Pest Control, Inc. has some tips that are mechanical things you should incorporate into your scheme to keep your horse-house stable fly free. Stable flies strongly resemble the standard house fly, but are slightly smaller in size at 5 to 7 millimeters. The eggs are laid among putrefying organic materials such as hay, manure, and wood. For egg production, the female requires its abdomen to be engorged with blood. [7] Some of the reported parasites and diseases for which the stable fly might be a vector include Trypanosoma evansi (the agent of Surra), Trypanosoma brucei, brucellosis, equine infectious anemia, African horse sickness (AHS), and fowlpox. Hard. Piles of lawn clippings, weeds, and plant residues left in fields after harvest may also allow the hatching of large numbers of stable flies. Both sexes feed on the blood of livestock and man, and inflict painful bites. The … Species; Additional images ... UK Map. In prime breeding times stable flies can develop from egg to adult in just 2 weeks. Stable Flies make up about 20% of the pest fly population around horses typically, but they are not attracted to House Fly traps. Stable flies prefer to feed on the legs and lower body of cattle, horses, and other large animals (including humans). Host Material: decaying hay, straw, fermenting weeds, grass and sea weeds. They look similar to house flies, but stable flies have a pointed mouthpart used to suck blood. Stable Flies Mainly found in late summer and early fall, these biting flies primarily feed on livestock. [1] Unlike most members of the family Muscidae, Stomoxys calcitrans ('sharp mouth' + 'kicking') and others of its genus suck blood from mammals. Eggs hatch in 12 to 24 hours into first instar larvae, which feed and mature through three instars in 12 t… I… This often occurs when they are picked up by weather fronts and carried aloft for several hundred miles. [9][10] Pay attention to their drinking areas as stable flies get thirsty. Stomoxys calcitrans is commonly called the stable fly, barn fly, biting house fly, dog fly, or power mower fly. [2] The adults of both sexes feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals during the daytime. The other major concern you have is the risk of infestation from the stable flies that are buzzing around your animals and stables. S. calcitrans is also reported to be a vector of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. There are many insecticide control methods available to manage horn fly numbers; backrubbers, dust bags, insecticidal ear tags and strips, pour-ons, oral larvicides, low pressure sprayers, mist blower sprayers, and the Vet Gun. STABLE FLY BIOLOGY ^ Stable flies are 1/4″ or larger and suck blood. Undisturbed, a stable fly can fully engorge with blood in less than 5 minutes. Stable flies are becoming pasture pests in areas where round bales are used extensively. [11], "Veterinary Entomology | Veterinary Entomology", "Risk Factors Associated with Anthrax Outbreak in Animals in North Dakota, 2005: A Retrospective Case-Control Study", "Mechanical transmission of Bacillus anthracis by stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans) and mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and Aedes taeniorhynchus)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stable_fly&oldid=987104044, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 November 2020, at 23:07. Stable flies will develop in straight cow manure but much prefer decaying organic matter such as wet, spilled feed, hay (especially high-protein round bales), protein supplements, distillers grain, decaying grass, soiled bedding, etc. Fly Predators parasitize Stable Flies and are an effective control tool. Life Cycle:3-4 weeks. 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