Parasitic horn fly serious threat to milk production Undergrad research project uses genetic techniques

摘要

Whether interested in agriculture, entomology, microbiology, genetics, environmental conservation or education, this project extends into multiple fields. Horn flies are a significant parasite throughout the South Central US and South America. They lay their eggs in cow manure and live off the blood of the cow as adults. As few as 30 flies can provide enough stress on the cow to affect milk production and calf weight gain. However, if pesticidal ear tags are used for insect control, it is recommended that you wait until at least 100 flies infect the animal before use, because the flies quickly develop resistance to the chemicals. Wolbachia is a bacterium that naturally lives within many insects, including the horn flies, and affects reproductive success.