Response of Tabanidae (Diptera) Species to Malaise Traps Baited with 1-octan-3-ol and 4-methylphenol

Abstract

Natural and synthetic attractants have been widely used for controlling horse fly populations. Relative responses of horse fly species to different attractants may vary under the different environmental conditions in different geographical areas. Many studies reported that, octanol and methylphenol are effective attractants for horse fly species and when they were combined with phenolic compounds together, their attractant effect increased. In this study we examine the effectiveness of Malaise traps baited with octenol and methylphenol on tabanids species in the province of Eskisehir, Catacik Forests and Hekim Mountain in Turkey. As a result, a total of 3045, 1428 and 626 specimens were caught with the trap baited with octanol, methylphenol and the control trap, respectively. The results of this study are compared and evaluated with the results of previous studies performed with natural and synthetic attractants in different geographical regions. The results obtained demonstrated that, octanol and methylphenol can be used effectively for controlling horse flies in this part of Turkey.