Aircraft Applications of Insecticides in East Africa. VI.—Applications of a coarse Aerosol containning DDT to control the Tsetse Flies, Glossina morsitans Westw., Glossina swynnertoni Aust. and Glossina pallidipes Aust.

Extract

An experiment is described where applications of a coarse aerosol were made to savannah woodland containing the tsetse flies, Glossina moritans Westw., G. swynnertoni Aust. and G. pallidipes Aust.

Seven applications were made, each at a nominal dosage of 0·25 lb. of technical DDT per acre and 0·25 gallons of solution per acre. The applications in any particular part of the treaed woodland covered an interval of 90 days, or rather more than two pupal periods.

The coarse aerosol was produced by emitting the insecticidal solution under pressure through fine nozzles fitted to a boom. It had a mass median diameter of approximately 60 microns, and droplet dismeters varied from a few microns to approximately 200 microns.

The population of G. pallidipes was so drastically reduced that it has subsequently dies out. The reduction of G. morsitans was approximately 95 per cent. The differences between the reductions are attributed mainly to differences between the ease with which the three species can be killed. It is pointed out that this is not necessarily equivalent to differences in susceptibility.

Comparisons are made with previous experiments, and the different results of the various experiments are difficult to explian satisfactory. The increased cover in savannah areas during the leafy period may have reduced the effectiveness of the applications, and the total periods covered by the various series of applications were probably also important. Random effects, leading to ineffective treatments, may also be important.

Costs are discussed.