Fly Control for Cattle: 3 Essential Steps
Summer is here again! While this may mean family BBQs in the sunshine for you, it means all the insects that come with the heat for your cattle. For a herd of cattle, flies are some of the most troublesome external parasites.
Common species of flies that bother cattle include horn flies, face flies, stable flies, and house flies - just to name a few. These are more than just an annoyance; they cause real problems. Let's first look at what these problems are, and then we'll dig deeper into how to fight them off.
Table of Contents
- Why Fly Control for Cattle Is so Important
- 3 Essential Steps
- Step #1: Feed Your Cattle an Insecticide
- Step #2: Use Fly Tags
- Step #3 Incorporate Sprays
- Order Your Needed Supplies Online
Why Fly Control for Cattle Is so Important
There are a number of species of flies that can have a negative impact on the productivity and profitability of your beef herd. Flies can reduce performance in cattle due. The presence of pests reduces grazing as they swat at flies and not eat grass. Some species of flies feed on blood from the cattle, others feed on normal secretions from cattle eyes and nose, and some lay eggs on cattle that develop into grubs under their skin. If that sounds uncomfortable, you're right! Not surprisingly, there are several species of flies that spread disease from one cow to another. This is why fly control for cattle is essential.
3 Essential Steps
We'll never be able to completely eliminate flies, unfortunately. Flies have adapted for many, many years, making it impossible to completely win the battle. We can, however, lessen the flies’ impact on your herd through fly control for cattle.
Step #1: Feed Your Cattle an Insecticide
JustiFLY® Feedthrough is the first step in your fight against harmful flies. Simply mix one add pack with one 50-lb. bag of free-choice minerals. This breaks the life cycle of the fly species mentioned above. The cattle ingest the larvicide as the feed on the treated mineral. It passes through the animal and starts to work on flies in the cattle manure. You can watch a helpful YouTube video here that goes into further detail.
Step #2: Use Fly Tags
Today's best fly tags contain a higher concentration of insecticide and are quite helpful in controlling fly populations. Some experts recommend you use pyrethroid tags for two consecutive years, then switch to an organophosphate tag for one year to reduce pyrethroid resistance.
Step #3 Incorporate Sprays
Lastly, spray your cattle as an effective form of reducing the fly population. This can be time-consuming if cattle are grazing an extensive area, but the results are often worth it.