Livestock Management Insect Pests Sept. 2003, LM-10.9 Lesser House Fly Michael W. DuPonte1 and Linda Burnham Larish2 1CTAHR Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, 2Hawaii Department of Health Fannia canicularis Linnaeus Origin The lesser house fly was first recorded in Hawaii in 1901; now it is widespread over all of the islands. The lesser house fly can withstand lower temperatures than the house fly and will be active during cooler months. Hosts Larvae of both the house fly and lesser house fly feed on animal dung and decaying vegetable matter. Public health concern Can be a nuisance to neighbors of poultry operations. Livestock concern Along with Fannia pusio, the chicken dung fly, the lesser house fly can be abundant at poultry facilities and where cattle are confined; this can result in nuisance complaints from neighbors. The lesser house fly has been shown to harbor Newcastle disease. Description 3 A small fly about ⁄16 inches long. Blackish-gray, with three dark stripes down its back and a mottled yellow abdomen. Dairy farms should remove accumulated manure, espe­ Wings are held overlapping each other over the fly’s cially if it is wet. back. Monitor adult fly populations to aid in deciding when to Adults fly slowly in circles and tend to hover. apply insecticides. Consult your pesticide supplier for recommended prod­ Life cycle ucts and always follow label directions. Growth stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Entire life-cycle takes 15–30 days. References Prefers to lay eggs on damp, decaying organic matter. Hardy, D. Elmo. 1981. Insects of Hawaii, v. 14, Diptera: Cyclop­ phapha IV. Univ. Hawaii Press, Honolulu. pp. 44–47. Larvae are brown, partially flattened, with numerous Pereira, Marcelo de Campos. The Veterinary Parasitology Images spines. Gallery. University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photos on this page ©MCP; used with permission. Control Williams, R.E., et al. (eds.). 1985. Livestock entomology. John Wiley Poultry operations need to keep manure dry. & Sons. pp. 78–79, 282–283. Published by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) and issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Andrew G. Hashimoto, Director/Dean, Cooperative Extension Service/CTAHR, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822. An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Institution providing programs and services to the people of Hawaii without regard to race, sex, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, arrest and court record, sexual orientation, or veteran status. CTAHR publications can be found on the Web site <http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu> or ordered by calling 808-956-7046 or sending e-mail to [email protected]. .