Category C Practice Questions -- Part I

Biology and control of domestic flies (house flies and relatives)

These questions are meant primarily to give an idea of the exam questions, and
may not reflect current reference materials accurately, nor emphasis on exams.


1. The most important urban fly sources are:

    Snails.

    Garbage cans.

    Pet droppings.

    Compost piles.

2. House fly larvae (Musca domestica) have spiracles that are:

    Absent.

    "O"-shaped.

    Ringed by projections.

    "D"-shaped.

3. Eggs of domestic flies are quite susceptible to:

    Predation.

    Ovicides.

    Drying.

    All of the above.

4. House fly larvae usually are not found in:

    Fresh undisturbed cattle droppings.

    Man-made sources.

    Garbage cans.

    Cannery wastes.

5. Green blow flies belong to the genus:

    Musca.

    Phaenicia (now Lucilia).

    Stomoxys.

    Drosophila.

6. Important sources for the black blow fly (Phormia regina) are:

    Vegetables and cannery waste.

    Manure and fresh cattle droppings.

    Grass clippings and fresh cut alfalfa.

    Carcasses and garbage dumps.

7. Important sources for the stable fly (Stomoxys calcitrans) are:

    Vegetable and cannery wastes.

    Poultry and cattle manure.

    Fresh cattle droppings.

    Decaying plant material and animal manure.

8. Screened, fly-tight poultry houses may develop:

    Daily manure removal problems.

    Residual fly larvae.

    Maintenance problems with screens.

    Secondary pest problems, mainly rats.

9. The best source of information on fly control is:

    Prevention and Community Corrections Board.

    The US Environmental Protection Agency.

    The local hardware store.

    The UC Cooperative Extension Service.

10. Coned chicken manure can provide habitat for:

    Face fly larvae.

    Fly predators and parasites.

    Muskrats.

    None of the above.

11. Fly production can be reduced or eliminated in poultry manure when the manure is:

    Placed in fly-tight storage.

    Composted properly.

    Quickly dried.

    All of the above.

12. Flies have a life cycle consisting of:

    Egg, larva, pupa, adult.

    Egg, nymph, adult.

    Egg, larva, nymph, adult.

    Egg, larva, protonymph, pre-adult, adult.

13. Culled fruit to be disposed of should be:

    Spot dumped where cattle can feed on it.

    Spread thinly, dried, and disked under.

    Made into wine.

    None of the above.

14. Exclusion as a method of fly control would include:

    Trapping.

    Space sprays of insecticides.

    Field disking.

    Screening.

15. A dark brown fly larva having a flattened body armed with many spines, and usually found in poultry manure, but also in grass clippings, garbage, and carrion is the:

    Little house fly (Fannia canicularis).

    House fly (Musca domestica).

    False stable fly (Muscinca stabulans).

    Black blow fly (Phormia regina).