tachinid flies

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tachinid flies

Postby Wyvern » Thu Sep 06, 2012 12:57 pm

This has to be the absolute worst year for these damn flies. Does anyone know if those pheromone baited fly traps will work on tachinid species?

I see at least a dozen or so flies hanging out per milkweed plant and I have like close to 200 plants... literally swarms of these annoying things. I know they are beneficial in some respects going after pest insects. I think they may even be good for those invasive stinkbugs cause I've noticed that as the fly numbers have increased around my house the past couple of years the stinkbugs have virtually disappeared (only saw 5 this year), but the fact that flies have killed off about 80% of my monarch babies this year is just too much. I need to get the fly numbers under control.
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Re: tachinid flies

Postby blazing star » Thu Sep 06, 2012 2:03 pm

I just looked up stink bugs because I thought they were native here. Turns out there are a ton of different types of them and that they are found worldwide. The bad news, for you, is that most of them are herbivorous with only one subspecies preying on insects. I had no clue of this and thought they were all predators of other insects.

Concerning your files, I have no solution as I've been lucky not to have a lengthy imbalance of any one type of insect in my yard.

I hope you get your problem worked out.
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Re: tachinid flies

Postby Mona Miller » Thu Sep 06, 2012 7:18 pm

I've used the Rescue fly traps for several years no. The flies that go into them are those Green Blow Flies and what look like the tachinid flies, too. The only problem is that they stink.

From what I am hearing, the fly problem is international. They are have the same problem in Canada.

This is one reason that I try to capture a female and let her lay eggs.
Mona Miller
Herndon, VA (USA)
Take care of the small things....
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