Introducing the University of Georgia Black Fly Research and Resource Center

The University of Georgia Black Fly Research and Resource Center is collaborating with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to provide black fly resources to interested researchers. This collaboration supports the world's only black fly colony. Black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) are considered the third most important arthropod vector after mosquitoes and ticks. The black fly colony is a unique, one of a kind, resource that was initiated in 1981 at Cornell University and has been maintained at the University of Georgia since 1999. Black flies require flowing water to complete their life cycle. The colony simulates this environment with 9 aquatic rearing units that create miniature rivers for the larval and pupal stages to develop. All stages of the black fly life cycle are available, live or preserved, as well as total nucleic acid extracts. These materials provide a unique opportunity for research on this important vector group and the biological comparisons that can be conducted with an organism that has been maintained isolated in colonization for forty years. It should be noted that the colony is pathogen free and was genetically characterized about 20 years ago so there is baseline information available. Material from the colony could be used to efficiently conduct vector biology, insect pathology, genetic, predator-prey interactions and a host of other research endeavors. Those interested in receiving material from the black fly colony should work through the BEI Resources website (www.beiresources).