Livestock-pest-management
Guides
Hydrotaea houghi
Hydrotaea houghi is a species of muscid fly described by Malloch in 1916. It belongs to the family Muscidae, which includes house flies and related species. The species has been recorded from Hawaii and the continental United States. As a member of the genus Hydrotaea, its larvae are known to be predatory on other fly larvae in manure and decaying organic matter.
Spalangia
Spalangia is a genus of chalcidoid wasps in the family Spalangiidae (sometimes placed in Pteromalidae), comprising pupal parasitoids of filth flies. Species such as S. endius, S. cameroni, and S. nigroaenea are widely used as biological control agents against house flies (Musca domestica) and stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans) in livestock and poultry operations. Females locate buried host pupae by burrowing through manure and decaying organic matter, while males remain near the surface to mate with emerging females.
Spalangia cameroni
Spalangia cameroni is a solitary parasitoid wasp in the family Pteromalidae that attacks the pupal stage of filth flies, particularly house flies (Musca domestica). It has been extensively studied for its biological control potential in livestock and poultry operations. The species exhibits complex host-finding behaviors, including the ability to distinguish host ages through antennal contact, and demonstrates sex ratio manipulation in response to host size. It has a lifecycle of approximately 21–28 days under favorable conditions.
Spalangia drosophilae
Spalangia drosophilae is a small parasitoid wasp in the family Pteromalidae that attacks the puparia of various Diptera. Originally described from North America in 1887, this species has been documented as a parasitoid of frit flies (Oscinella frit), house flies, stable flies, and other muscoid flies in agricultural and pastoral settings. Females exhibit sophisticated host-finding behavior, using sensory cues to locate damp, grassy areas where host puparia occur. The species demonstrates host discrimination abilities to avoid superparasitism, though this restraint breaks down under high parasite-host ratios. It has been recorded from the Galápagos Islands, western North America, and Brazil, and is utilized in biological control programs for filth fly management in livestock operations.
Stictia
horse guards, cowfly tigers, insecto policia
Stictia is a genus of large, often brightly colored predatory sand wasps comprising approximately 30 species, primarily distributed in the Neotropics. The genus is best known for Stictia carolina, commonly called the "Horse Guard," which specializes in hunting horse flies around livestock. Females construct solitary nests in sandy soil, provisioning them with paralyzed flies to feed their larvae. These wasps are valued for their biological control of pest flies, though they are not commercially available. Males engage in aerial patrols and "sun dances" to locate females.