Bayer, PestWest announce partnership for new Florida Fly-Baiter

Date:01-06-2012

Environmental Science, a business unit of Bayer CropScience, announced the launch of the Florida Fly-Baiter, a new fly control device developed by University of Florida graduate students under the supervision of Dr. Phil Koehler. The fly-baiter is produced by Sarasota-based electric fly control experts PestWest and utilizes fly behavioral biology cues in conjunction with Maxforce Fly Spot Bait to attract and kill flies in various settings.

The Florida Fly-Baiter was born from a grant issued by the Armed Forces Pest Management Board seeking solutions to filth fly issues as part of the Deployed Warfighter Protection Program (DWFP).  The University of Florida’s Urban Entomology Laboratory was selected as the recipient of the grant and over the course of five years, graduate students Joe Diclaro and Jeff Hertz worked with Dr. Phil Koehler and Dr. Roberto Pereira to develop a baiting structure that would act as a visual attractant to flies. 

An in-depth color analysis performed by Diclaro discovered that blue surfaces are most appealing to several species of filth-breeding flies.  Testing was also done by Hertz to determine the types, color, size and length of cord that would best retain the insecticide and also mimic the cracks and crevices that flies tend to squeeze into for shelter.  The final Florida Fly-Baiter is a hollow, triangular, blue structure with four textured black strips on each of the three sides and cords at the bottom and top to secure the Florida Fly-Baiter. It can be suspended or pinned to a flat surface anywhere that filth flies are an issue.  When suspended, the space inside the structure can be utilized to house additional attractants. 

"Fly vision is key in attracting the insects,” said Koehler.  “It’s not necessarily a matter of how much square footage a product can cover, it’s about placing the baiter where flies can see it.  With the Florida Fly-Baiter, we combined all the visual cues that flies are drawn to in one product.”

The Killgerm Group, the UK-based parent company of PestWest, accepted a worldwide license from the University of Florida to develop the Florida Fly-Baiter and bring it to market.  Killgerm’s Paul Hoyes and Isabel Jowett worked with Koehler and his students to turn the initial concept into a design which would meet the needs of both military and professional pest controllers.  PestWest USA’s president James Shaffer worked closely with Gordon Morrison, Maxforce Marketing Manager at Bayer, to use Maxforce Fly Spot Bait in conjunction with the Florida Fly-Baiters.