Ruhina Iftikhar1 and Amber Ali2
1Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan 2Department of Zoology, University of Sialkot, Pakistan
*Corresponding author: iftikharsarwar37@gmail.com
The housefly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) is cosmopolitan in nature and acts as carrier of various disease-causing pathogens in human and livestock. They are found in unsanitary conditions and badly maintained livestock farms. Conventional chemical insecticides are the sole reliance of farmers to combat this pest. They serve as carriers for numerous harmful agents that cause lethal diseases in both humans and livestock. The purpose of this study was to determine the susceptibility of housefly populations to deltamethrin and thiamethoxam in various livestock farms of Punjab, Pakistan. Susceptibility of four house fly population was evaluated against various concentrations of deltamethrin and thiamethoxam. The experiment was conducted on F1 of tested population, while lab strain acted as control treatment. Experimental conditions were maintained at 25±2 ˚C, 60±5% relative humidity (RH) and a 12:12 (D: L) hours photoperiod. Among the tested populations, Rahim Yar Khan population was highly susceptible to both insecticides followed by Bahawalpur, Lodhran and Multan as compared to the control. Mortality of adult house flies increased as the dose rate of insecticides increased for both pesticides. Deltamethrin was more effective than thiamethoxam against all tested populations. The study revealed that the use of deltamethrin is more effective, as compared to thiamethoxam, to control houseflies in livestock farms. Hence, it can be recommended for effective control of houseflies for sustainable animal production.