Flight initiation in<i>Triatoma infestans</i>(Klug) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

Abstract

Abstract Flight initiation of adults of Triatoma infestans (Klug) was recorded in a laboratory apparatus. The proportion of individuals initiating flight depended on the nutritional status of the insects, and flight activity was greatest about 12–18 days after feeding. From measurements of the weight and length of the insects, it was possible to assign the probabilities of flight initiation and thus predict the proportion of an adult population likely to fly. The predictive model should be of use to field workers studying dispersion of T. infestans between infested houses.