Field experiments of dispersive flight by Triatoma infestans.

Using marked male Triatoma infestans allowed to escape and fly on a little-used airport in Brazil and salt flats in Argentina, 33 of 169 flew in the former and 28 of 528 in the latter experiment. Many of the bugs which flew had been classed as poorly fed. The proportion of bugs which flew was in reasonable agreement with predictions based on laboratory observations. It was shown that in the field male bugs are capable of flights in excess of 100 m. The method described served the purpose of this experiment well but would not be suitable for distances greater than 100 to 200m.