Diptera: Muscidae) and Their
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POPULATION DYNAMICS AND OVERWINTERING CAPABILITIES OF THE STABLE FLY STOMOXYS CALCITRANS (L.) (DIPTERA: MUSCIDAE) AND THEIR PUPAL PARASITOIDS (HYMENOPTERA: PTEROMALIDAE, ICHNEUMONIDAE) ON DAIRY OPERATIONS IN SOUTHERN MANITOBA BY GINA E. C. KARAM A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Entomology University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba Copyright © 2020 by Gina E. C. Karam ABSTRACT The stable fly Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae) has been a severe biting pest in North America for the last 250 years. Severe seasonal infestation is a common occurrence on Canadian livestock production sites. The projected effects of climate warming within the next 30 years may lead to even larger infestations of longer duration, increasing both economic losses and concerns regarding animal welfare. To understand the relationship between stable fly population dynamics and the environmental factors that drive population fluctuations, stable fly activity was monitored at three dairy operations near Glenlea, Manitoba for two years (June to October 2017 and May to October 2018). Adult stable flies were trapped using Coroplast® panels for 24-hours once weekly and changes in adult abundance, sex ratios, and age structure were examined. During both years, adult abundance followed a unimodal trend with the highest abundance recorded in July. Pupal stable flies were collected in autumn (November 2017 and September 2018) to determine the potential for overwintering survival under laboratory and field conditions. In the lab, pupae were held at 0°C, 2°C, or 5°C and sampled every two weeks from 24 November 2017 to 8 June 2018, and 26 September 2018 to 22 May 2019 to examine adult emergence, pupal development, and parasitism. Two adults emerged from the 1350 pupae observed in 2017 and 256 adults emerged from the 1440 pupae observed in 2018. There were 166 pupal parasitoids recovered in 2017 and 17 pupal parasitoids recovered in 2018. Significantly more adult flies emerged when held at 5°C, and intrapuparial development was observed under 10°C. As evidenced by the results of this study, large numbers of adult stable flies are unlikely to overwinter unsheltered in Manitoba, but pupal parasitoids are able to. ii Stable fly population dynamics and overwintering survival of stable flies and pupal parasitoids have important implications for producers looking to reduce economic loss and animal welfare concerns, while also preventing environmental impacts from overusing chemical controls. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, thank you to my advisor, Dr. Kateryn Rochon. You have advised me on much more than just science. You helped cultivate within me new understandings, different perspectives, and a more in-depth way of thinking about the natural world that surrounds me. Words just cannot express how grateful I am that you let me learn in my own way and make my own mistakes yet you were available to help me when things got too difficult. There were times when I honestly did not know if I was capable of finishing this project, but you were always there to talk me out of my self-doubt. Your patience and consistency truly helped to bring out the best in me, even if I could not see the best in myself at times. I genuinely appreciate all the time and effort you put into shaping me into a better scientist. I thank my committee members, Dr. Emma McGeough and Dr. Mahmood Iranpour, for your guidance during this project. I greatly appreciate all of your assistance and valuable input during our time together, as well as your helpful recommendations on improving this thesis. Jordan Bannerman aka “The Stats/R Wizard”, thank you for your in-depth and patient assistance with R and statistics, which I can actually say I have come to enjoy thanks to your tutelage. To my lab mates Phoenix Nakagawa, Lilianne Tran, Madelin Pineau, Alyssa Coopland, and Evan Warren: thank you for your help with processing one hundred thousand stable flies and numerous parasitoids. You all made my project so much easier and my lab work so much fun! Thank you to technicians Dave Holder and Lisa Babey for all of your assistance during last-minute fieldwork, designing and creating lab equipment, and going above and beyond for myself and all the students in the Entomology department. We are lucky to have your creativity and help in our Department. iv This project could not have happened without Mike Hummel and Tracy Gilson at Glenlea Research Station, Ron and the Van Walleghem family, and Reg and the Wiens Family, as well as all your precious Holstein girls. Thank you Timi Ojo from Manitoba Agriculture for providing me with accurate weather station data reports from the Kelburn Farm. Where would I be without Rachel Cherka, Arielle Nagy, Christie Lavallee, Seriki Muhammad, Conny Willing, Brian Moons, Gabrielle Grenier and all of my Entomology and Biology friends. Thanks to your consistent support and encouragement, I made it! You are all such genuine people that I am lucky to surround myself with. You guys kept me working hard, laughing and upbeat, thinking critically, and buzzed on caffeine 24/7. You have helped me stay as sane as possible during these last few years and I am so thankful to have you all in my life. To my huge and wonderful family: Mom, Dad, Karl, Heather, Erik, Sydney, Shaun, Bailey, Gran, Gramps, Mama, Baba, Sara, Nabil, Leila, Nora, and all the Salos, Campbells, Karams, and Bouabdillahs. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your love, understanding, and kindness is exactly what I needed to complete this project. I could never have done this without knowing all of you have my back when “stuff” hits the fan and I feel like quitting. I am so lucky to have such a tight-knit family like I do. You complete my circle and I am so grateful for your encouragement and support, even if you are still not sure what I have been working on this whole time. And finally, to the love of my life, Yassin: you are my rock, my shining light, my listening ear, and my inspiration to better myself each day. I am so unbelievably grateful for your seemingly endless patience and support during all these years. Your passion, wisdom, and kindness are unmatched. I am thankful for you in every single way and I love you. v For generously providing funding assistance, I thank the University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship, the Manitoba Graduate Research Grant Program, the Prairie Improvement Network Graduate Fellowship and the Canadian Dairy Commission Scholarship. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER 1: REVIEW OF PERTINENT LITERATURE........................................................ 13 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 13 Stable Fly Population Dynamics and Dispersal ........................................................................ 25 Biology of Parasitoid Wasps and Use as Biological Control Agents ....................................... 30 CHAPTER 2: ADULT STABLE FLY STOMOXYS CALCITRANS (L.) (DIPTERA: MUSCIDAE) SEASONAL POPULATION DYNAMICS ON DAIRY FARMS IN SOUTHERN MANITOBA. ................................................................................................ 36 Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... 36 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 36 Materials and Methods .............................................................................................................. 38 Results ....................................................................................................................................... 49 Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 55 CHAPTER 3: WINTER SURVIVAL OF STABLE FLY STOMOXYS CALCITRANS (L.) (DIPTERA: MUSCIDAE) PUPAE AND THEIR PUPAL PARASITOIDS (HYMENOPTERA: ICHNEUMONIDAE, PTEROMALIDAE) UNDER LABORATORY AND FIELD CONDITIONS IN SOUTHERN MANITOBA. ............... 76 Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... 76 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 76 vii Materials and Methods .............................................................................................................. 79 Results ....................................................................................................................................... 86 Discussion ................................................................................................................................