The status and seasonal changes of organophosphate and pyrethroid resistance in Turkish populations of the house fly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae).

Field strains of the house fly (Musca domestica L. Diptera: Muscidae) were collected in April and September 2002 from cow farms (Antalya, Izmir) and garbage dumps (Adana, Ankara, Istanbul, Sanliurfa) in Turkey. The resistance levels of first to fifth generation offspring were evaluated against six insecticides (cypermethrin, cyphenothrin, deltamethrin, permethrin, resmethrin, fenitrothion). Resistance levels for pyrethroid group insecticides ranged from 23.27 (permethrin-Istanbul fall strain) to 633.09 (cypermethrin-Izmir spring strain) and for fenitrothion ranged from 5.78 (Istanbul fall strain) to 51.04 (Antalya spring strain). Our results showed that pyrethroid resistance was high and changed from spring to fall in relation to usage and application frequencies of these compounds at the study sites. Although fenitrothion resistance levels were determined to be lower than pyrethroids, these levels were still high and led to control failure. Flies from cow farms were more resistant than those from garbage dumps, but resistance levels for Sanliurfa and Adana strains were also high in relation to usage of different insecticides for agricultural purposes. Although resistance levels against different pyrethroids decreased from spring to fall, these levels still indicated the presence of a strong selective pressure on the populations.