Traps and odour baits for the tsetse fly, Glossina longipennis (Diptera: Glossinidae)

Abstract

AbstractStudies were carried out at Nguruman, south-west Kenya to develop an effective trap/odour bait system that could be used for sampling and possibly controlling the tsetse Glossina longipennis Corti. Neither acetone nor cow urine increased trap catches significantly when used alone, but together they increased catches by about four to five times. Used with a target and electric screens, acetone with p-cresol, 3-n-propyl phenol and 1-octen-3-ol gave a significantly higher index of increase than did acetone and cow urine. The use of odour baits did not affect the age composition of the catch. The standard F3 trap was about three and a half times more effective for females than was the biconical trap and about eight times more effective when used without its blue floor. The NG2B was the best of the NGU series of designs, and caught about four times more females than did the biconical trap. Neither the F3 nor the NG2B caught significantly more males than the biconical trap. The NG2B caught a significantly higher proportion of parous female flies than the biconical. Either the F3 or the cheaper NG2B, baited with acetone and cow urine or phenols, is recommended as a sampling tool for G. longipennis. Electric screen experiments showed that the NG2B caught less than 10% of the flies that approached it. Despite this, it might still be effective for control of G. longipennis given the high mobility of this species and the consequent likelihood of encountering traps.