Catches of Tabanidae in response to visual and odour attractants in Zimbabwe

Shape of trap, and/ or the proportions of blue to black in the cloth covering the trap, affects the numbers of tabanids caught in odour-baited F3, traps. In February, 80% of the catch consisted of Tabanus pullulus Austen and Tabanus copemani Austen. Catches of these two species from a moving ox were far lower than from traps although members of the Philolichini were caught from the ox only. Traps baited with 1-octen-3-ol (octenol) or 4-methylphenol separately, or with a mixture of 3-n-propylphenol, octenol, and 4-methylphenol in the proportions of 1 : 4 : 8 gave significantly greater catches of T. pullulus and T. copemani. 3-n-Propylphenol alone was not effective as a bait. The addition of acetone to octenol, or to the 1 : 4 : 8 mixture of octenol and phenols, increased catches but not significantly. Experiments with a range of dilutions of the 1 : 4 : 8 mixture in acetone indicated that trap catches of T. pullulus were increased even at a dilution of 1 : 200, compared with catches in traps baited with acetone alone. Catches of Tabanus unilineatus Loew, Haematopota nocens Austen, and Atylotus agrestis Wiedemann in F3 traps were also increased by using the 1 : 4 : 8 bait together with acetone.