Transgenerational effects of lambda-cyhalothrin on Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae)

The hormetic effect may cause disease control measures to fail due to inadequate treatment of human disease vectors such as houseflies. Age-stage, two-sex life table is used for accurate estimation of the hermetic impacts on insects as it allows to study sub-lethal or transgenerational effects. Pyrethroids insecticides are primarily used for the management of houseflies. This study used lambda-cyhalothrin (a pyrethroid insecticide) to quantify its transgenerational impacts on houseflies. Life table parameters of a progeny of adult houseflies exposed to LC(10), LC(30,) and LC(50) of lambda-cyhalothrin were computed. Statistically higher fecundity (71.31 per female) was observed in control treatment, while it was the adults exposed to LC(50) recorded the lowest progeny. Significantly higher values for intrinsic rate of growth (r), limiting rate of growth (λ), and net reproductive rate (R(o)) (0.16, 1.16, and 31.38 per day, respectively) were recorded for the control treatment of the study. Contrarily, lower values for λ, R(o,) and r were (0.10, 1.10, and 9.24 per day, respectively) were noted in the LC(50) treatment. Decreased population parameters suggest that lambda-cyhalothrin can be successfully used in indoor environments to control houseflies.