David B. Taylor

Economic Impact of Stable Flies (Diptera: Muscidae) on Dairy and Beef Cattle Production

ABSTRACT Stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), are among the most damaging arthropod pests of cattle worldwide. The last estimate of their economic impact on United States cattle production was published 20 yr ago and placed losses at

Comparative efficiency of six stable fly (Diptera: Muscidae) traps.

608 million. Subsequently, several studies of effects of stable flies on beef cattle weight gain and feed efficiency have been published, and stable flies have become increasingly recognized as pests of cattle on pasture and range. We analyzed published studies and developed yield-loss functions to relate stable fly infestation levels to cattle productivity, and then estimated the economic impact of stable flies on cattle production in the United States. Four industry sectors were considered: dairy, cow-calf, pastured stockers, and feeder cattle. In studies reporting stable fly infestation levels of individual herds, median annual per animal production losses were estimated to be 139 kg of milk for dairy cows, and 6, 26, and 9 kg body weight for preweanling calves, pastured stockers, and feeder cattle, respectively. The 200,000 stable flies emerging from an average sized winter hay feeding site reduce annual milk production of 50 dairy cows by an estimated 890 kg and weight gain of 50 preweanling calves, stockers, or feeder cattle by 58, 680, or 84 kg. In 2009 dollars, the value of these losses would be

Identification of screwworm species by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism

254,

Insecticide resistance in house flies from the United States: Resistance levels and frequency of pyrethroid resistance alleles

132,

Stable fly population dynamics in eastern Nebraska in relation to climatic variables

1,279, or

Mitochondrial DNA variation in screwworm.

154, respectively. Using cattle inventories and average prices for 2005–2009, and median monthly infestation levels, national losses are estimated to be

Genetic variation in geographical populations of western and Mexican corn rootworm

360 million for dairy cattle,

Reproductive compatibility and mitochondrial DNA restriction site analysis of New World screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax, from North Africa and Central America

358 million for cow-calf herds,

Phenology of Stable Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) Larvae in Round Bale Hay Feeding Sites in Eastern Nebraska

1,268 million for pastured cattle, and

Genetic Relationship Among Diabrotica Species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Based on rDNA and mtDNA Sequences

226 million for cattle on feed, for a total impact to U.S. cattle industries of