Luana Biggi Souza, Anny Karoliny de Lima Dionisio, Mayara Acioli Cedrim, Luiz Carlos Silva Dias Neto, Ellymaira Freitas Pontes, Yáskara Veruska Ribeiro Barros, Renato Júnior Cavalcante da Silva, Ênio Jose Bassi, Jacques Hubert Charles Delabie, Ana Lucia Biggi Souza, Leticia Anderson
{"title":"Urban ants as potential mechanical vectors of pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a Brazilian hospital.","authors":"Luana Biggi Souza, Anny Karoliny de Lima Dionisio, Mayara Acioli Cedrim, Luiz Carlos Silva Dias Neto, Ellymaira Freitas Pontes, Yáskara Veruska Ribeiro Barros, Renato Júnior Cavalcante da Silva, Ênio Jose Bassi, Jacques Hubert Charles Delabie, Ana Lucia Biggi Souza, Leticia Anderson","doi":"10.1111/mve.70108","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70108","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Urban ants may act as mechanical carriers of pathogenic microorganisms in hospitals, potentially posing a risk to public health. To support infection control strategies, we investigated the occurrence of ants associated with clinically relevant microorganisms in a public hospital in Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil. Ants were collected from 17 hospital sectors, and the most prevalent species were Tapinoma melanocephalum and Dorymyrmex brunneus. Microbiological analyses revealed bacterial isolates associated with ants in 10 hospital areas, including emergency wards. A total of 18 bacterial isolates were identified across eight genera, including clinically relevant bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Pluralibacter gergoviae, Citrobacter koseri, Acinetobacter sp. and Pseudomonas sp. Several isolates exhibited resistance to multiple antibiotics, including carbapenems. These findings highlight the potential epidemiological relevance of ants associated with pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hospital environments, emphasising the need for improved pest management and environmental control measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148795118","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Monitoring the spread and seasonal abundance of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae), in Limassol, Cyprus.","authors":"Ioanna Angelidou, Angeliki F Martinou","doi":"10.1111/mve.70105","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70105","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the era of globalization, the emergence and re-emergence of vector-borne diseases are a public health concern. Aedes albopictus was introduced in the city of Limassol, Cyprus, in 2022. Herein, we present information on the seasonal dynamics of Ae. albopictus from 2022 to 2024 by actively monitoring the locations where Ae. albopictus was first reported by citizens. Our two-year field trapping scheme shows that despite any control interventions, Ae. albopictus continues to spread. Female Ae. albopictus abundance is influenced by maximum temperature, daylight duration and location, while sex ratio (male-to-female) depends on temperature, wind speed and location. Aedes albopictus shows strong seasonal activity, peaking during the summer-autumn period (June to October/November), within activity during winter and early spring months (February to mid-April 2023 and February 2024). This is the first study on the seasonal dynamics of Ae. albopictus for Cyprus through which we would like to underscore the need for tailored mosquito management strategies, along with active citizen participation in monitoring and control interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148722026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daniela Balseca, Valeria Paucar-Quishpe, Richar Rodríguez-Hidalgo, Ximena Pérez-Otáñez, Darío Cepeda-Bastidas, Cecilia Pérez-Escalante, María-Augusta Chávez-Larrea, Sandra Enríquez, Jorge Grijalva, Sophie O Vanwambeke, Claude Saegerman, Lenin Ron-Garrido
{"title":"Tick-borne diseases in subtropical dairy farming: The role of calf rearing strategies in antibody and antigen prevalence.","authors":"Daniela Balseca, Valeria Paucar-Quishpe, Richar Rodríguez-Hidalgo, Ximena Pérez-Otáñez, Darío Cepeda-Bastidas, Cecilia Pérez-Escalante, María-Augusta Chávez-Larrea, Sandra Enríquez, Jorge Grijalva, Sophie O Vanwambeke, Claude Saegerman, Lenin Ron-Garrido","doi":"10.1111/mve.70103","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70103","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tick-borne diseases (TBDs), such as anaplasmosis and babesiosis, pose significant challenges to dairy farming in subtropical regions, where balancing tick control with immune development is essential to maintaining herd health. This study evaluated the immune responses of calves raised under confined and traditional systems in Ecuador. Serum samples from 124 cows and their calves were analysed using ELISA assays to detect Anaplasma marginale antibodies and Babesia bovis antigens. The results showed a significantly higher seroprevalence of A. marginale antibodies in calves reared under traditional systems (98 %) compared to those raised under confinement (32 %) (p < 0.01), suggesting that early exposure to infected ticks enhances immune response development. In contrast, antigen levels for B. bovis were low overall (1 % Ag-prevalence), suggesting limited pathogen circulation, although the Ag-prevalence was slightly higher in traditional systems (2 %). In confined systems, maternal antibody transfer appeared to play a more prominent role, whereas calves in traditional systems developed a more active, independent immunity. These findings highlight the importance of calf-rearing strategies that incorporate controlled tick exposure alongside targeted management practices to enhance herd resilience and mitigate economic losses. A balanced approach considering endemic stability could improve long-term protection against TBDs in subtropical dairy farming systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148720613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Liam B D C Foley, James F Wallman, Krzysztof Szpila, Kelly A Meiklejohn, Nikolas P Johnston
{"title":"Integrative revision of the Australian carrion-breeding Calliphorinae (Diptera: Calliphoridae): Revision of the Calliphora stygia- and ochracea-groups.","authors":"Liam B D C Foley, James F Wallman, Krzysztof Szpila, Kelly A Meiklejohn, Nikolas P Johnston","doi":"10.1111/mve.70092","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70092","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Australian carrion-breeding species of the blowfly subfamily Calliphorinae, collectively placed in the Calliphora stygia- and ochracea-group sensu Johnston, Szpila, et al., 2025, play crucial roles in forensic science and agriculture, serving as key indicators of time since death of corpses and facultative agents of myiasis in livestock. Additionally, carrion-breeding blowflies have growing relevance in biomedical research due to their application in maggot debridement therapy and their emerging potential as sources of novel therapeutic compounds. Despite this recognised importance, the Australian representatives of these species groups remain poorly understood, with many aspects of their taxonomy and species boundaries unclear. This, in turn, complicates their reliable identification, hindering their use in applied contexts. Here, an integrative revision of the C. stygia- and ochracea-groups is presented, treating 17 species along with the taxonomically unplaced Calliphora lordhowensis, using morphology and mitochondrial DNA to elucidate species boundaries. We provide a new diagnostic key to support the identification of these groups and provide verified COX1 sequences for most species. We utilise molecular and morphological data to support the synonymisation of Calliphora albifrontalis as a junior synonym of C. stygia, which has implications for the use of this species in forensic and medical applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148713074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chasen D Griffin, Joshua Schreiber, Abigail Bierwert, Caleb-Matthew Olaso, Matthew C I Medeiros
{"title":"Microbial mediation of invasion: Effects of environmental microbiota on the development and physiology of Aedes albopictus.","authors":"Chasen D Griffin, Joshua Schreiber, Abigail Bierwert, Caleb-Matthew Olaso, Matthew C I Medeiros","doi":"10.1111/mve.70106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70106","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Global invasions by the mosquito Aedes albopictus pose serious threats to biodiversity and public health due to its capacity to vector multiple emerging infectious diseases. As a highly invasive species, its success is closely linked to environmental conditions during its complex life cycle. In this study, we investigated how compositionally distinct environmental microbiomes influence A. albopictus development, physiology and starvation resistance. Larvae were reared in mesocosms containing water from three sources-laboratory, plastic buckets and bromeliad tanks-each filtered at three levels (30-50 μm, 10 μm and 0.1 μm) to manipulate microbial diversity. We found that microbial community composition significantly affected larval development time and pupation success. Larvae reared in water with reduced microbial diversity developed faster and had higher pupation success than those exposed to more complex communities. Although lipid concentrations and time to adult eclosion were unaffected across habitat types, adult survival under starvation conditions varied significantly by microbial exposure and sex. Females from low-diversity habitat types exhibited the highest survival, suggesting early-life microbial environments influence adult fitness traits critical to invasion success. These results highlight the ecological importance of environmental microbiomes in shaping mosquito life history and suggest that microbial diversity in larval habitat types may influence the establishment and spread of A. albopictus in novel environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148679146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of elevation, season and bait type on assemblage of forensically relevant blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in contrasting habitats of northwestern Arizona","authors":"Grace V. Kahler, Lauren M. Weidner","doi":"10.1111/mve.70073","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70073","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Blow flies represent one of the most forensically significant insects in legal investigations. Their habitat-specific abundance and temperature-dependent development rates can help estimate a post-mortem interval (PMI), cause of death and post-mortem movement of a deceased body. As the role of forensic entomology expands in human and wildlife criminal investigations, there is a need for updated regional surveys for blow fly species. All recent and previous blow fly surveys in Arizona have been limited to the southern and central ecoregions. The objective of this study was to identify blow fly species between two contrasting habitats in northwestern Arizona—the Black Mountains (Mojave Desert) and the Hualapai Mountains (Arizona/New Mexico Mountains). This research aimed to assess the impacts of food source (game meat (javelina; <i>Tayassu tajacu</i>) compared to chicken (<i>Gallus domesticus</i>) liver), seasonality and elevation on blow fly biodiversity. Each habitat had three site locations at different elevational gradients (low, middle, high) with four bait traps deployed at each site (two of each bait type). This study found a significant difference in the biodiversity of blow flies between and within each habitat seasonally, as well as elevational variation within each habitat. Bait-preference also was statistically significant for overall abundance, and two indicator species for each bait type were identified. Additionally, this research presents the northernmost recorded presence of <i>Chrysomya rufifacies</i> in Arizona, as well as the first records of <i>Cynomya cadaverina</i> and <i>Calliphora alaskensis</i> in the state. The data collected establishes an important baseline for these understudied regions of Arizona and facilitates a wider use of blow flies in forensic investigations for rural areas of Mohave County, AZ.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"40 3","pages":"647-658"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147690997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Colton R. A. Stephens, Mark R. Forbes, Scott Wilson, Antoinette Ludwig, David R. Lapen, Greg W. Mitchell
{"title":"Mosquito feeding patterns in the context of West Nile and eastern equine encephalitis viruses in eastern Ontario, Canada","authors":"Colton R. A. Stephens, Mark R. Forbes, Scott Wilson, Antoinette Ludwig, David R. Lapen, Greg W. Mitchell","doi":"10.1111/mve.70077","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70077","url":null,"abstract":"<p>West Nile virus (WNV) and eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) are typically maintained via enzootic cycles between birds and mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae). In North America, the blood hosts of mosquitoes involved in pathogen circulation are poorly described for many regions, limiting our ability to predict disease outbreaks. Our objectives were to (i) identify local (Eastern Ontario, Canada) bloodmeal hosts fed on by mosquitoes using DNA barcoding and (ii) investigate if the bloodmeal hosts identified were representative of the entire host community using species accumulation curves and Chao richness estimates. We successfully identified 313 bloodmeal hosts from 292 mosquitoes belonging to the species <i>Aedes cinereus</i>, <i>Aedes vexans</i>, <i>Coquillettidia perturbans</i>, <i>Culex pipiens/restuans, Ochlerotatus stimulans</i> and <i>Ochlerotatus trivittatus</i>, with 257 and 56 bloodmeal hosts identified at the species and genus levels, respectively. Concurrent with the literature, <i>Culex</i> species almost exclusively fed on birds, <i>C. perturbans</i> fed on a mixture of birds and mammals, and the remaining mosquito species fed almost exclusively on mammals. Eastern cottontail rabbits (<i>Sylvilagus floridanus</i>) were the most common mammal species fed on, driven by <i>A. vexans</i> and <i>O. trivittatus</i>. With respect to WNV and EEEV enzootic cycles, <i>Culex</i> species, the main vectors for WNV transmission, were observed to forage on American robins (<i>Turdus migratorius</i>), an amplification host for WNV, highlighting a pathway by which WNV could be maintained in our study region. <i>A. vexans</i>, a potential bridge vector, was also observed to forage on a relatively high frequency of humans (<i>Homo sapiens</i>), suggesting a pathway by which humans could be exposed to WNV. <i>C. perturbans</i>, a potential bridge vector for EEEV transmission, was also observed to forage on both an American Robin (also an amplifying host for EEEV) as well as on humans in a relatively high frequency, illustrating a potential pathway by which EEEV exposure in humans could occur. Our species accumulation curves and Chao estimates of richness with respect to bloodmeal hosts, indicated that the bloodmeal host community was not completely characterized. Together, our results contribute to a better understanding of mosquito bloodmeal hosts in eastern North America and suggest a larger or more directed sampling effort would be needed to characterize the entire bloodmeal host community in our study region.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"40 3","pages":"634-646"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.70077","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147942029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Relja Vasiljević, Milomir Stefanović, Samantha M. Wisely, Nathan D. Burkett-Cadena, Mihaela Kavran, Carson W. Torhorst, Jovan Mirčeta, Dejan Bugarski, Mihajla Djan
{"title":"Xenomonitoring reveals mosquito–host feeding patterns in Serbia","authors":"Relja Vasiljević, Milomir Stefanović, Samantha M. Wisely, Nathan D. Burkett-Cadena, Mihaela Kavran, Carson W. Torhorst, Jovan Mirčeta, Dejan Bugarski, Mihajla Djan","doi":"10.1111/mve.70056","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70056","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Many mosquito species act as vectors for zoonotic pathogens, transmitting them between natural amplifying hosts and dead-end hosts. Determining the relationship between mosquitoes and their hosts is crucial for understanding the lifecycle dynamics of such pathogens. The aim of this research was to assess the host-feeding patterns of mosquitoes inhabiting natural and semi-natural environments of Vojvodina Province, Serbia, using the invertebrate-derived DNA (iDNA) from blood-fed female mosquitoes. Mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae) belonging to four genera were identified, based upon morphological characteristics. A segment of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced, allowing for 10 different vertebrate host species to be identified. <i>Culex</i> specimens collected in this study primarily fed on birds, while mammal species constituted about a third of their bloodmeals. Species of <i>Anopheles</i> and <i>Aedes</i> overwhelmingly took bloodmeals from a single host species, the red deer, but also fed on other mammal species from diverse families. Our results indicate that enzootic and bridge vectors are active in the study area, feeding upon the respective host groups that could sustain transmission of mosquito-transmitted viruses, highlighting the need for continued surveillance of the region.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"40 3","pages":"672-676"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147284205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Thais Alves de Moura, Alyne Cunha Alves Dias, Alexandre de Almeida e Silva
{"title":"Ingestion of attractive toxic sugar baits containing ivermectin before and after blood feeding affects the biology and reproduction of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)","authors":"Thais Alves de Moura, Alyne Cunha Alves Dias, Alexandre de Almeida e Silva","doi":"10.1111/mve.70065","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70065","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) is an alternative approach for mosquito control, combining an attractant, a phagostimulant (sugar) and an insecticide. In this study, we evaluated the effects of ATSBs containing ivermectin (IVM, 15 ppm) on the biology and reproduction of <i>Aedes aegypti</i> females under different conditions relative to blood feeding. The bait was prepared with guava juice, 70% brown sugar, water, food dye and IVM. Females aged 5–7 days from the LaBEIn colony were allocated to two treatment groups: bait before blood feeding (BB) and bait after blood feeding (AB). Each group consisted of 20 females, with three replicates, and the treatments were applied 48, 72, or 96 h BB or AB. Blood engorgement was reduced by approximately 80% in all BB treatments during the first gonotrophic cycle, while no effect was observed in AB females. Survival decreased by up to 90% in BB females at all time points, whereas AB females exhibited a 94% reduction only at 96 h. For reproductive traits, including oviposition rate, egg number and hatching, the strongest reductions occurred in BB females (up to 80%) and in AB females exposed 96 h AB, also during the first gonotrophic cycle. Overall, ATSB-IVM ingestion caused pronounced sublethal effects on <i>Ae. aegypti</i>, impairing blood feeding, survival, oviposition, fecundity and fertility, with greater impacts when ingestion occurred BB and during the first gonotrophic cycle. These results highlighted the potential of ATSB-IVM as a complementary strategy for vector control.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"40 3","pages":"551-559"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.70065","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147574582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Grayson L. Cave, Kaiying Chen, Steven S. Denning, David W. Watson, R. Michael Roe
{"title":"Comparative efficacy and studies of mode of action of minerals from diatoms against three species of filth flies","authors":"Grayson L. Cave, Kaiying Chen, Steven S. Denning, David W. Watson, R. Michael Roe","doi":"10.1111/mve.70052","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70052","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Filth flies pose a health risk because of the microbes they carry outside and inside of their bodies to humans and animals. Mostly synthetic chemical insecticides are used for fly control. Alternative approaches with a different mode of action are needed because of increasing fly resistance to pesticides. We used a modified World Health Organization cone test to determine the efficacy of the minerals produced by diatoms (diatomaceous earth) as a mechanical insecticide against adults of the house fly, <i>Musca domestica</i>, the secondary screwworm, <i>Cochliomyia macellaria,</i> and the grey flesh fly, <i>Sarcophaga bullata</i>, under low and high humidity. The use of mechanical insecticides as an alternative to kill filth flies has received minimal consideration. However, recent research showed that expanded perlite, a new mechanical insecticide made from volcanic rock, was highly efficacious against mosquitoes and flies. Mortality for diatomaceous earth in this paper at 30°C and 50% relative humidity was observed as early as 2 h after exposure with 50% and 90% mortality observed at 3.5 and 4.6 h (the LT<sub>50</sub> and LT<sub>90</sub>, respectively) in <i>M. domestica</i>. The LT<sub>50</sub> and LT<sub>90</sub> increased as the size of the fly species increased (<i>M. domestica</i> to <i>C. macellaria</i> to <i>S. bullata</i>) and increased for all three species when the relative humidity increased from 50 to 70%. These results suggest dehydration was the mode of action. Scanning electron micrographs of <i>C. macellaria</i> adults 2 h after diatomaceous earth exposure, showed the flies were evenly self-covered with the mineral with no obvious damage to the cuticle. Proof of concept was demonstrated that diatomaceous earth as a residual surface treatment could be used as an alternative for filth fly control.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"40 3","pages":"478-488"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.70052","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146086187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}