Temporal changes in the abundance of Musca domestica Linn (Diptera: Muscidae) in poultry farms in Penang, Malaysia

Abstract

Changes in the abundance of the house fly, Musca domestica, was studied for a period of one year in two poultry farms in Penang, Malaysia: one in Balik Pulau, located in Penang island, and the other in Juru, located on mainland Penang. The sampling of house flies were carried out from March 2007 to April 2008 using the Scudder grill, and the correlation with meteorological conditions particularly rainfall, relative humidity and temperature were observed. In Balik Pulau, the fly abundance showed an inverse relationship to relative humidity and total rainfall. However, no significant correlations were found between the abundance of flies and the above mentioned climatic factors. In contrast, the occurrence of flies in Juru showed strong correlation indices with relative humidity (r=0.803, p<0.05) and total rainfall (r=0.731, p<0.05). Temperature had no significant effect on the abundance of flies in both poultry farms due to imperceptible changes in monthly temperature.