The abundance of flies associated with cow dung collected in Besut, Terengganu, Malaysia

Flies are important vectors for many pathogens that transmit diseases to humans and animals. They breed on decayed, fermenting or rotting organic materials. Elements such as humidity, temperature and rainfall can highly influence the condition of breeding sites and the survival of eggs and larvae. Livestock animals are usually raised in open ranges in areas close to people. Therefore, animal dung such as cow dung may attract flies to the areas. Considering these factors, this study aimed to identify flies associated with cow dung in Besut, Terengganu and their population abundance. The cow dung samples were collected from three different locations around Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) Besut Campus, Besut, Terengganu. Samples were collected once a week for three consecutive weeks in January 2022 for the rainy season and in April 2022 for the hot season. A total of 1078 individuals from six families were identified: Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Psychodidae, Scatophagidae, Sepsidae, and Sphaeroceridae. The hot season recorded more Diptera families than in the rainy season. The most abundant family obtained was Sepsidae and the least abundant was Scathophagidae for both seasons. Analysis showed that there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the abundance of the Diptera population in the rainy and hot seasons. This study serves as an initial step towards advancing ecological research for developing public health objectives aimed at reducing the spread of pathogenic microorganisms, particularly flies as potential vectors.