QUESTIONS

1 . Briefly discuss the housefly: ( Musca

domestica ) under the following headings:
Identification.
Life history.
Habits that lead to the spread of diseases
Control measures.
2. Briefly discuss the mosquito under the
following headings:
Identification.
Life history.
Habits that lead to the spread of diseases.
Control measures.

HOUSE FLY

Introduction
House flies are annoying nuisances.
Even a few can make people miserable
by their determined attempts to land
on virtually any surface.
More importantly, house flies pose a
serious public health threat. They can
carry a wide range of germs from filthy
breeding sites to the dinner table or
spread some diseases within herds or
flocks.

 Serious conflicts can arise when

significant numbers of house flies
begin to disperse to nearby areas.
Law suits or potential public health
problems can result.

HOUSEFLY ( MUSCA
DOMESTICA )
Identification
The most abundant and non biting
insect about human habitation. They
are somewhat small, dark grey or
black in colour with one pair of wings.

Identification of a Housefly.
Kingdom:

Animalia

Phylum:

Arthropoda

Class:
Order:

Insecta
Diptera

Section:

Schizophora

Family:

Muscidae

Genus:

Musca

Species:

M. domestica
Binomial name
Musca domestica

Life cycle
It has a complete metamorphosis i.e. it
undergoes 4 stages: Eggs, Larva
(maggot ), Pupa and Adult.

Lifecycle of a housefly.

 Each female fly can lay approximately

500 eggs in several batches of about
75 to 150. The eggs are white and are
about 1.2mm in length.
Within a day, larvae (maggots) hatch
from the eggs; they live and feed on
(usually dead and decaying) organic
material, such as garbage or faeces.

 They are pale-whitish, 39mm long,

thinner at the mouth end, and have
no legs. They live at least one week.
At the end of their third instar, the
maggots crawl to a dry, cool place
and transform into pupae, colored
reddish or brown and about 8mm
long.

 The adult flies then emerge from the

pupae. (This whole cycle is known as
complete metamorphosis.)
The adults live from two weeks to a month
in the wild, or longer in benign laboratory
conditions. Having emerged from the
pupae, the flies cease to grow; small flies
are not necessarily young flies, but are
instead the result of getting insufficient
food during the larval

Habits that lead to the spread of diseases

The housefly has a hairy body and sticky padded feet.
A single fly may carry as many as 6,500,000
microorganisms.
Bacteria may be carried in the digestive system of a
fly for as long as 4 weeks and can be transmitted to
succeeding generations.
The flys instinct for survival and attraction for
odours leads it to the above breeding places.
When feeding on filthy material, it covers its legs
body and wings with germs.
After the main course, the fly is ready for its dessert,
which may include: milk, pudding, cake, bread, human
face or mouth parts. Since the fly is on liquid diet, it is
necessary to transform the cake frosting or pudding
for example into a liquid form.

 It is able to do so by regurgitating some of the

liquids already swallowed such sewage and
microladen saliva, until the relatively solid
material is softened sufficiently to be swallowed.
In doing so, the fly leaves part of its vomit,
germs from its legs, body and its excretions on
the object.
If undisturbed, the vomit and faeces dry to form
familial black specks frequently seen on screens,
window pens, table clothes and walls.
in the process the fly mechanically transmits the
following diseases; typhoid & paratyphoid
fevers, bacillary & amoebic dysentery ,
cholera, Anthrax, conjunctivitis, Trachoma,
Tuberculosis and Poliomyelitis.

Control measures
There are four basic principles of pest
management important in controlling house
flies: sanitation, exclusion, non-chemical
measures, and chemical methods. These are
listed in order of lasting effectiveness.
Sanitation - Flies cannot breed in large
numbers if their food sources are limited. Do
not allow such materials as manure, garbage,
grass clippings, weed piles or other decaying
organic matter to accumulate. Keep trash cans
clean and tightly covered. Be careful not to
wash garbage cans where the rinse water might
drain into the soil; flies can breed in soil full of
organic matter. Dry out maggoty garbage or
dispose of it in fly proof containers or landfills.

 Exclusion - Flies can be kept outside of homes

by the use of window and door screens. Make
sure screens are tight-fitting without holes. Keep
doors closed with no openings at the top or
bottom. There should be no openings around
water or gas pipes or electrical conduits that feed
into the building. Caulk or plug any openings.
Ventilation holes can be a way for flies to enter a
building. Ventilation is important to maintaining
adequate air circulation within the building, but
screening must be used to exclude flies.

.
Non-chemical Measures - The use
of such devices as ultraviolet light
traps, sticky fly traps, fly swatters,
baited fly traps, etc. can eliminate
many flies from inside a home. A fly
swatter is an economical control
method for the occasional fly.

 Chemical Control - Exterior applications of insecticides may

offer some relief from infestations where the task of completely
sealing the exterior is difficult or impossible. Applications should
consist of a synthetic pyrethroid (i.e. deltamethrin, cyfluthrin,
lambda-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, sumithrin or tralomethrin)
and should be applied by a licensed pest control operator when
flies begin to appear. Unfortunately, because insecticides are
broken down by sunlight, the residual effect of the material will
be greatly decreased and may not kill flies much beyond several
days or a week. If flies are numerous inside your home, you can
use a space spray (aerosol) labeled for flying insects. Most space
sprays contain pyrethrins for quick knockdown. Aerosols give
temporary relief, however. If you have many flies inside, you
would be wise to find out why they are there and take steps to
relieve the problem through sanitation and exclusion.

A MOSQUITO

PUPA

LARVA

LARVA

PUPA

Identification
Kingdom:

Animalia

Phylum:

Arthropoda

Class:
Order:

Insecta
Diptera

Suborder:

Nematocera

Infraorder:

Culicomorpha

Superfamily:

Culicoidea

Family:

Culicidae
Meigen
Subfamilies

Anophelinae
Culicinae
Toxorhynchitinae

Contd
Mosquitoes are insects belonging to the order
Diptera, the true flies.
Like all true flies, they have two wings, but unlike
other flies, their wings have scales, they have long
many segmented antennae.
Their mouthparts (in female mosquitoes) form a
long piercing sucking proboscis.
Males differ from females by having feathery
antennae and mouthparts not suitable for piercing
skin.
Nectar is their principal food source. Are
formidable environmental health problem,
responsible for spreading number one killer
disease in this country-malaria

MOSQUITOES.
Life history:
Complete metamorphosis; egg, larva, pupa,
adult.
The first 3stages occur in water; egg ,larva,&
pupa.
3distinct genuses of mosquitoes which highlight
there characteristic differences;
Anopheles(gambiae & funestus) transmit malaria.
Culex(fatigan)& Aedes(aegypti) transmit viral &
filarial diseases.

Habits of mosquitoes
After adults have emerged out of the
pupae,
They rest on the puparium for short while
or attach to an adjacent vegetation to
enable the cuticle & wings to harden before
flying away.
They mate only once in there life time.
Copulation takes place in the air.
The females suck blood to develop eggs
&look for suitable breeding site.
Both sexes feed on plant juices but
females in addition suck on blood.

Habits cont.
Mosquitoes do not move at random
but they are impelled instantly to look
for food(human blood)
They can fly up to 15miles being
aided by wind & mostly are nocturnal;
e.g. A.gambiae & c.fatigans but
aegypti can diurnal (feed during the
day)
Hide in dark places during the day e.g.
curtains, under leaves, long grass,
behind furniture etc.

Disease transmitted by
mosquitoes

A.gambiae: Malaria, OnyangNyong,

Filariasis & Viral fevers.
A.funestus: Malaria, onyangonyong,
filariasis & viral fevers
C.fatigans: filariasis, dengue fever
A.aegypti: yellow fever(urban areas),
dengue fever &filiriasis
A.simspson& africanus: yellow
fever(rural areas)

Control measures of
Reducing mosquitoes
their numbers by:
Draining& filling in water holes &
ditches in or near the village.
Cleaning bush & grass along the river
banks &ponds.
Collecting &disposing of containers
likely to hold water, e.g. coconut husks ,
old motorcar tyres etc.
Use of predators(larvivorous fish,
gambusia

Preventing mosquitoes from

biting by:
Using bed nets, preferably treated with
Permethrin. This insecticide can be
applied to curtains and wall cloths.
Bed rooms and sitting rooms should
have window screened with mosquito
proof wire gauze.
Using mosquito repellent coils and
residual insecticide sprays. These help
but are expensive.

Reference
C . H .Wood H . De G lanville, J.P
Vaughan : Community Health, 2nd
edition.