Insecticide resistance in houseflies from the middle east and North Africa with notes on the use of various bioassay techniques

The susceptibility to pyrethroid, organochlorine, organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides, of 20 strains of houseflies ( Musca domestica L.) collected in the Middle East and North Africa, was assessed by topical application. No resistance to pyrethroids was found but most flies were resistant to DDT, gamma‐HCH, organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides. Numerical factors of resistance for a susceptible and two different resistant strains, obtained using different bioassay techniques, were compared. High mortality (≥95%) was achieved with ‘resisted’ insecticides in tests with space sprays, but only low, variable mortality resulted from deposit tests. If this occurs under practical field conditions, moderately resistant populations of flies could be controlled by using space sprays containing comparatively high concentrations of active ingredient, but increased levels of deposit would be ineffective.