Salalah: The biting fly, known as Arnoot in Dhofar Governorate, is the most annoying insect for tourists especially in areas with water springs of Dhofar Governorate. This biting fly species becomes active during the autumn (khareef) season, causing much inconvenience due to its painful bites that leave red marks on the skin and cause severe itching.
Ahmed bin Khamis al Sudairy, a research assistant at the Centre for Environmental Studies and Research (CESAR) at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), said that 32 species of biting fly were recorded in the Sultanate of Oman the most common of which is locally known as Arnoot spreads in the water springs of Dhofar Governorate and becomes active during the July-September period.
Arnoot bites cause a condition medically known as Popular urticaria which causes blisters and a severe rash accompanied by severe itching that causes the tourists to feel uneasy sensation thus affecting tourism turnout in Dhofar Governorate. Many studies have proven the effectiveness of some control methods such as the use of light traps which attract biting flies with near ultraviolet rays. A study conducted at Kasetsart University in Bangkok showed the effectiveness of light traps in attracting 27 types of biting flies, Al Sudairy said.
Al Sudairy stressed that the management of insect breeding areas such as animal manure, decomposed grass, wet soil, can help maintain a clean and dry environment thereby reducing the number of biting flies. Tourists are advised to wear body-covering, light-coloured clothing to prevent the bites as well as using insect repellent that is safe for the skin. Studies have also shown that wearing some bracelets that emit ultrasonic frequencies helps repel some types of biting flies and mosquitoes in general. It is recommended to avoid going out during peak mosquito activity times especially in the early morning and prior to sunset as well as staying away as much as possible from their breeding sites such as water springs and lush grass and trees, he said.
In a bid to reduce the number of biting flies in the tourist sites of Dhofar Governorate, the Dhofar Municipality formed a steering committee headed by Dr Ahmed al Ghassani, Chairman of Dhofar Municipality. The committee includes a field control team and a specialised scientific research team. The field control team carried out intensive control campaigns in some water springs utilising several methods such as spraying insecticides using drones to access rugged areas, thermal fogging to cover large areas with high efficiency, spraying moist soil on the edges of water springs to eliminate larvae and limit reproduction.
The municipality also used special traps containing chemicals that attract biting flies which are placed in strategic places. These efforts have significantly reduced the number of biting flies and alleviated the inconvenience visitors are experiencing. In addition to the field efforts, the municipality formed a specialised scientific research team comprising researchers from various research, academic and governmental bodies to conduct an in-depth study on the Arnoot fly in Dhofar with the aim of developing effective and sustainable control strategies while maintaining the ecological balance.
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