U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home News & Events News Articles Research News 2002





- ARS News & Events
- AgResearch Magazine
- Image Gallery
- News
- Search News & Events
- Pesticide Drift May Endanger Pollinators
- ARS Seeks a Fire Ant Fix
- Scientific Discoveries 2024
- ARS Featured Photos
- Down on the Farm
- Facebook Live Events
- Food and Nutrition Research Briefs
- News Archive
- Science in Your Shopping Cart
- Scientific Discoveries
- Social Media
- Under the Microscope
- AgResearch magazine
- ARS at Work
- ARS Memorial Lectures
- ARS Science Hall of Fame
- Citrus Disease (Huanglongbing)
- Contact Office of Communications
- Plant Hardiness Zone Map
- Mobile Apps
- Public Affairs Contacts
- Publications and Other Resources
- USDA Blog
- Videos

Archived Page
 This page has been archived and is being provided for reference purposes only. The page is no longer being updated, and therefore, links on the page may be invalid.
 Read the magazine story to find out more.
Nematodes Fight Biobattle Against Biting Flies
By Jan SuszkiwJuly 1, 2002
Flies that pester cattle in the feedlot could meet their match in tiny parasitic roundworms now being tested as biological control agents by a pair of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) scientists.
ARS entomologist David Taylor says their research aims to find out whether the roundworms, or nematodes, can provide cattle producers with a reliable alternative to chemical insecticides, which often must be reapplied as fly populations rebound or migrate in from other sites. In the nematodes--which includes the species Steinernema feltiae--Taylor and UNL associate Thomas Powers also see a way to delay the emergence of insecticide-resistant fly populations.
Nationally, flies cost the beef and dairy cattle industry up to $1 billion in annual production losses. The chief targets of Taylor and Powers' research are house and stable flies, especially the latter. Attacks by swarms of the relentless biting flies on cattle cause blood loss, stress and feed-efficiency problems. Both fly species can also be a nuisance to animal handlers and homeowners whose properties are close to cattle operations, notes Taylor, with ARS' Midwest Livestock Insects Research Unit in Lincoln, Neb.
Since 1999, the two researchers have screened about 20 species and 50 strains of fly-infecting nematodes. Of special interest are those capable of surviving in manure around feedlots or soiled bedding in calf pens, where 80 percent of the flies' brood hatch and feed. The nematodes kill the flies' maggot offspring by wriggling into their bodies to feed, mate and reproduce. In experiments, up to 99 percent of fly maggots died within 48 hours of infection by S. feltiae, the researchers' top fly-fighter.
A more in-depth article about this work appears in the July issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.


Return to top


Research
                            Media
                            About ARS
                            Work With Us


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov