Recent Advances in the Use of Insect Growth Regulators for Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) Control

The house fly (Musca domestica L., Diptera: Muscidae) is widely recognized as a major mechanical vector worldwide due to its synanthropic lifestyle, high reproductive capacity, and ability to move freely across human, animal, and environmental interfaces. This species plays a significant role in the dissemination of food-borne pathogens, zoonotic agents, and antimicrobial resistance genes, thereby posing substantial risks to public health and livestock production systems. Over several decades, the extensive and repeated use of neurotoxic insecticides for house fly control has resulted in the widespread development of insecticide resistance in many regions, substantially reducing the effectiveness of conventional chemical control strategies.In this context, Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs) have emerged as promising alternatives that are more compatible with sustainability and insecticide resistance management. Rather than targeting the nervous system, IGRs interfere with key physiological processes governing insect development, metamorphosis, and reproduction, thereby suppressing population renewal and enabling long-term control in species with short generation times. Recent studies have demonstrated that IGRs exert not only larvicidal and pupicidal effects but also acute, sublethal, and transgenerational impacts on adult stages. In particular, adult feeding-based applications and autodissemination strategies have attracted increasing attention as innovative, behavior-based approaches that expand the practical scope of IGR use in house fly management.This study provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the application of IGRs against M. domestica, with a particular emphasis on vector ecology, insecticide resistance, modes of action, and emerging application technologies. The biological effects of juvenile hormone analogues, chitin synthesis inhibitors, and compounds targeting ecdysteroid signaling pathways are critically discussed, alongside an evaluation of their roles within Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Insecticide Resistance Management (IRM) frameworks. Collectively, this study reviews highlights that IGRs should not be regarded merely as supplementary control agents but rather as central components of modern, environmentally compatible, and sustainable house fly control strategies.