To
mass-produce maggots, the following prerequisites must be satisfied;
·
Housefly Musa domestica
·
Suitable substrates
·
Fly attractants
The House fly Musca domestica linnaeus,is a well known cospolitan pest of both farm and home. This species is always found to in
association with humans or activities of humans. It is the most common species
found on hog and poultry farms, horse stables and ranches.
DISTRIBUTION
This common fly originates on the steppes of
central Asia, but now occurs on all climates
from tropical to temperate, and in a
variety of environment ranging from rural to urban.
There are four stages in the life fly of fly; egg,
larva or maggot, pupa, adult. The reproductive growth of house fly is dependent
on the environmental temperature. At temperature 30 0c or more, they
complete their life cycle within a short period of time while at low
temperature below 240c prolongs their life cycle (keiding 1986).
·
EGG
The white eggs, (1.2mm in length) are usually laid
in masses on organic materials such as manure and garbage. The maximum egg production
occurs at intermediate temperature 25-300c and hatch into larvae
after 16-24 hours (Schoof 1964). Eggs
must remain moist or will not hatch.
·
LARVA
The white larva or maggot (3-9mm long) are legless and develop rapidly,
passing through three instars. The legless maggots emerges from the egg preferably in warm weather within 8 to 20
hours, and immediately feeds on and develop in the material in which the egg
was laid. The optimal temperature for larva development is 35 to 38 0c,
though larva survival is greatest at 17 to 320c (Hussein 2008).
After feeding stage is completed the larvae migrate to a drier place and burrow
into the soil or hide under objects offering protection and form a capsule-like
case known as “the puparium”. Nutrient rich substrates such as animal manure
provide an excellent developmental substrate.
Very little manure is needed for larva development, and soil containing
small amount of degraded manure allow for successful below ground development.
·
PUPA
The pupa
stage, (8mm long) is passed in a pupa case formed from the last larval skin
which varies in color as the pupa ages. At 26 0c and 70% humidity, larvae
begun to pupate in the upper portion of the substrate or medium i.e. sand (Soap
Blue Book 1960), vermiculite, sawdust (Sawicki and Holbrook, 1961). Pupation is
usually complete by day and the emerging fly escapes from the pupa case through
the use of an alternative swelling and shrinking sac, called the ptilium, on
the front of its head which it uses like a pneumatic hammer to break through
the case.
·
ADULT
The
housefly is 6 to 7mmlong, with the female usually larger than the male. The
female, and can be distinguished from the male by the relatively wide space
between the eyes (in males, the eyes almost touch). Adults usually live 15 to
25 days, but May live up to two months, without food, they survive only about
two to three days. At 26 0 c, Rock stein and Lieberman (1959)
reported that males have a shorter life span than females. Longevity is enhanced
by availability of suitable food, especially sugar and milk. Access to animal
manure does not lengthen adult life and they live longer at cooler
temperatures. They require food before they copulate, and copulation is
completed in as far as two minutes. Oviposition commences 3 to 4 days after
copulation. Female flies need access to suitable food (protein) to allow them
to produce eggs, and manure alone is not adequate.
Hussein
et al., (2008) reported a study
conducted in Texas USA, on breeding site suitability (in descending order), as
follows; horse manure, human excrement, cow manure, fermenting vegetable, and
kitchen waste. However, another study found that structures containing swine,
horse, sheep, cattle, and poultry varied in fly abundance, with swine
facilities containing the most and poultry the least. Fruits and vegetable cull
piles, partially incinerated garbage, and incompletely composted manure also
are highly favored sites for breeding.