Responses to electrified targets and daily activity of Stomoxys spp. (Diptera: Muscidae) in Zimbabwe

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Abstract
Responses of Stomoxys spp. to electrified targets (1 × 1 m) that differed in pattern and colour were investigated over a three month period at Rekomitjie Research Station, Zimbabwe. In the first experiment, a target baited with a blue and black cloth insert caught more flies (315 ± 117) than a target baited with blue cloth insert (202 ± 69). Next, a blue-cloth baited target caught more flies (491 ± 150) than a black-cloth baited target (164 ± 69) and a target containing a cloth with a black diamond on a blue background caught more flies (997 ± 326) than a target containing a cloth with a black square on a blue background (680 ± 125). Finally, a target fitted with a cloth consisting of a vertically oriented black stripe on a blue background caught almost three times as many flies (1366 ± 356) as a target fitted with a cloth consisting of a horizontally oriented black stripe on a blue background (545 ± 150). Hourly collections of Stomoxys spp. from a blue and black target, baited with and without carbon dioxide, indicated that daily activity was bimodal, with a small morning peak and a large late afternoon peak.