them,” says Pennington. “When doing this, they are not as effi cient when it comes to grazing and meat and milk production.” Treatment and prevention are
key to controlling horn fl ies. The best time for producers to justify taking horn fl y control measures that will generate a positive return on investment is when the flies reach the economic threshold. On average, if more than 200 fl ies are observed on a single beef cow or stocker animal it is considered the “treatment threshold.” For a single calf it’s 50 fl ies. “Throughout the fly season,
weekly monitoring for horn fl ies is highly recommended,” says Win- ter. “It’s usually best to monitor between the hours of 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. when horn fl ies are most vis- ible on the shoulders and sides of cattle. On hotter days, the fl ies tend to migrate to the cow’s belly where it’s cooler and harder to observe.”
Fly season control options Horn fl y infestations can vary
greatly by region due to climate. In Northern areas, the season usually lasts anywhere from 4 to 5 months, whereas in Southern states, they can endure more than half a year of horn fl y nuisance. For this rea-
tscra.org
son, season-long control is typically recommended. Pennington suggests these tips
to consider when developing a herd fl y-control program: • Withhold tagging or pour-on treatments until horn fl y num- bers reach about 100 per side of animal. This will keep them from being applied too early. It takes more than 200 fl ies per cow to have an economic impact on weight gain of nursing calves.
• Remove insecticide ear tags in the fall.
• Use of oral larvicide treatment such as Rabon™ or an Altosid® is a good way to reduce fl y breed- ing in manure. The most important way to
safeguard against horn fl ies be- coming resistant to insecticide is to rotate modes of action. There are many methods available to control horn fl ies, such as insecti- cidal ear tags, dust bags, concen- trated pour-ons, animal sprays, backrubbers and oral larvicides available in minerals and feed supplements. Horn fl ies are notori- ous for building resistance to some classes of chemicals, so producers should use an integrated program with multiple products for the best protection.
New form of horn fl y control Most recently, AgriLabs intro-
duced VetGun™, an innovative, new concept in insecticide delivery that offers producers another tool for treating horn fl ies. The power be- hind the VetGun is the AiM-L Vet- Cap™, a scientifi cally developed cap- sule containing an EPA-approved topical insecticide called Lamba cyhalothrin — a proven ingredient to control horn fl ies, face fl ies and lice on cattle. When used with other methods, it can be an effective so- lution for resistance management. VetGun uses precision-engi- neered CO2 power to project a pre-
cise dosage of AiM-L VetCap to treat the animal. It bursts upon impact, allowing the topically applied in- secticide to go to work immediately, similar to pour-on applications. It’s designed to limit cattle handling and stress, while uniquely applying effective horn fl y control. With this application system, the
insecticide can be applied to cattle at a range of 15 to 30 feet, allow- ing the producer to treat animals from a safe distance. It’s as simple as laying down a lick, hay or feed to create a positive correlation with the dosing process. Most animals show little reaction, then return to eating.
July 2014 The Cattleman 53
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108