One phase of integrated fly control studies on poultry ranches in northern California involves research on several natural enemies of the house fly, Musca domestica L, the little house fly, Fannia canicularis (L), and other nuisance flies The black garbage fly, Ophyra leucostoma (Wied), is one promising, and otherwise harmless, biological control agent Its predaceous larvae kill and feed on house fly maggots and other fly larvae which commonly inhabit chicken droppings Recent studies have shown that one Ophyra larva during its development may kill from 2 to 20 M domestica maggots per day.