Occurrence of O157:H7 in Pest Flies Captured in Leafy Greens Plots Grown Near a Beef Cattle Feedlot.

Leafy greens are leading vehicles for O157:H7 foodborne illness. Pest flies can harbor this pathogen and may disseminate it to produce. We determined the occurrence of O157:H7-positive flies in leafy greens planted up to 180 m from a cattle feedlot and assessed their relative risk to transmit this pathogen to leafy greens.

Evaluation of methods for collecting blood-engorged mosquitoes from habitats within a wildlife refuge.

Mortality of American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) chicks attributed to West Nile virus (WNV) prompted field studies on the bionomics of mosquitoes on a wildlife refuge in northern Montana. One component of these studies was to identify blood meal sources for Culex tarsalis, the primary vector of WNV in the region, and the potential bridge vectors Aedes vexans and Culiseta inornata. To accomplish this, 3 methods were evaluated to collect bloodfed mosquitoes: a gasoline powered aspirator, CO2-baited light traps, and fiber pots in shelterbelts consisting of stands of deciduous trees and shrubs and marshes along the lake edge.

Stable fly phenology in a mixed agricultural--wildlife ecosystem in northeast Montana.

The stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), is a cosmopolitan species of blood-feeding Muscidae and an important pest of cattle. Although the cattle industry is the largest commodity in Montana, no research has been conducted on the abundance, distribution, or impact of stable flies in the state.

Reproductive potential of stable flies (Diptera: Muscidae) fed cattle, chicken, or horse blood.

Reproductive potential was assessed for stable fly cohorts fed cattle, chicken, or horse blood. Flies provided chicken blood oviposited 20% more eggs per day than did those fed cattle or horse blood. However, flies provided cattle or horse blood were fecund 50% longer.