Progress 02/01/10 to 01/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience: Livestock producers, local and commercial. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Information is presented back to the participating individuals in the form of reports and charts. The information is relayed to other communities and commercial personnel upon request and through CEU programs in conjunction with County Extension Agents. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Field demonstrations were set up in sixteen counties (Anderson, Archer, Bowie, Camp, Cherokee, Ellis, Falls, Fannin, Houston, Palo Pinto, Panola, Polk, Shelby, Smith, Trinity, and Wise) from May 2014 to October 24, 2014. Two to four herds were used in each county. The herds in each county were given a different ear tag (one organophosphate, one pyrethroid and one macrocyclic lactone). The ear tags were provided by Y-Tex. The VetGun and Vet Capsules were provided by Smart Vet. Five counties had one herd that was treated with the VetGun and Vet Capsules containing lambda-cyhalothrin. Each county had a control herd for fly number comparisons. There were a total of 50 herds/participants for the study. Ear tags were provided to the herds being treated and were put in by the county Ag agent (and myself when possible). VetGun treatments were conducted by the AgriLabs rep (first treatment), agent, producer and myself (when possible). The county agent made weekly counts of horn flies by randomly choosing 10 cows and counting the number of horn flies present on one side of the cow. At the completion of the experiment, the ear tags were removed and discarded of properly, and surveys were sent to the participants. The results show the ear tags and VetGun treatments to have a significant impact on horn fly populations. At times the pesticides were not as efficacious as one would like but using a product that will wear off is a better option than using no products. As in previous years, varying results occur with the treatments in various counties. I am still not sure what is causing this to happen, it could be tolerance level variations, different climatic conditions, management practice differences by producer or use of products without approval. These results indicate that horn fly control is necessary throughout Texas during the fly season to ensure proper growth and milk production and economic prosperity. The average threshold for economic loss due to horn fly feeding is 200 horn flies / animal. This study involves counting the numbers of horn flies present on one side of the animal, therefore weekly horn fly populations averaged from 88-186 horn flies / animal, not over the threshold. Field demonstrations were set up at personal barns used to raise show animals and AG barns at high schools in 19 counties (Archer, Baylor, Concho, Coryell, Cottle, Ellis, Jones, Kendall, Lampasas, Limestone, Mills, Morris, Nolan, Rains, San Augustine, Shelby, Sutton, Tom Green and Van Zandt,). Field demonstrations were placed at a dairy in Archer County and at two feedyards in Tom Green County. The agents in each of the participating counties hung house fly bait stations 3-4 ft. or alternative trapping stations from the ground inside and around the barns. The stations were positioned out of reach of children and animals. Each county compared the effectiveness of the different insecticide baits and alternative pheromone traps provided by Bayer and Central Life Sciences in Dallas, TX. All of the participating counties, except Archer and Tom Green counties, made monthly counts of house flies (dead) inside the traps. Archer and Tom Green took weekly counts of the dead house flies from bait stations. The demonstrations were set up in May and were checked until the end of October. The results have shown some of the baits to be more effective than others, but there is thus far, no significant difference between the baits. Data shows a few more house flies killed with the QuickBayt fly bait but it is marginal in comparison when the total number of dead house flies (22,562 for QuickBayt, 14,715 for Golden Malrin and 13,584 for QuikStrike) are divided by the number of bait stations tested (respectively 1,410 (QB 16 sites), 865 (GM 17 sites), and 970 (QS 14 sites)). Results show all of the trap options to be effective, this year the QuikStrike had the lowest numbers when compared to the other baits but not by much. QuikStrike is known to not be as effective and resistance has been documented among the house fly population. Golden Malrin overall collected a large number of flies but when divided by the number of locations the number is much less than from 2013 and the other baits this year. The most successful bait used was QuickBayt, which is the newest chemical for house fly baits but resistance has been noted in laboratory testing and will be seen in natural populations with the overuse of the bait. The non-insecticidal traps showed excellent numbers (174,329) again and accurate results when changed on a monthly basis. In practical settings these traps are not changed as frequently as they should be and their effectiveness diminishes when the water and pheromone attractant run dry.
Publications
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Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14
Outputs
Target Audience: livestock producers, livestock owners, commercial livestock production Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Information is presented back to the participating individuals in the form of reports and charts. The information is relayed to other communities and commercial personnel upon request and through CEU programs in conjunction with County Extension Agents. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Field demonstrations were set up in sixteen counties (Anderson, Archer, Bowie, Camp, Cherokee, Ellis, Falls, Fannin, Houston, Palo Pinto, Panola, Polk, Shelby, Smith, Trinity, and Wise) from May 2014 to October 24, 2014. Two to four herds were used in each county. The herds in each county were given a different ear tag (one organophosphate, one pyrethroid and one macrocyclic lactone). The ear tags were provided by Y-Tex. The VetGun and Vet Capsules were provided by Smart Vet. Five counties had one herd that was treated with the VetGun and Vet Capsules containing lambda-cyhalothrin. Each county had a control herd for fly number comparisons. There were a total of 50 herds/participants for the study. Ear tags were provided to the herds being treated and were put in by the county Ag agent (and myself when possible). VetGun treatments were conducted by the AgriLabs rep (first treatment), agent, producer and myself (when possible). The county agent made weekly counts of horn flies by randomly choosing 10 cows and counting the number of horn flies present on one side of the cow. At the completion of the experiment, the ear tags were removed and discarded of properly, and surveys were sent to the participants. The results show the ear tags and VetGun treatments to have a significant impact on horn fly populations. At times the pesticides were not as efficacious as one would like but using a product that will wear off is a better option than using no products. As in previous years, varying results occur with the treatments in various counties. I am still not sure what is causing this to happen, it could be tolerance level variations, different climatic conditions, management practice differences by producer or use of products without approval. These results indicate that horn fly control is necessary throughout Texas during the fly season to ensure proper growth and milk production and economic prosperity. The average threshold for economic loss due to horn fly feeding is 200 horn flies / animal. This study involves counting the numbers of horn flies present on one side of the animal, therefore weekly horn fly populations averaged from 88-186 horn flies / animal, not over the threshold. Field demonstrations were set up at personal barns used to raise show animals and AG barns at high schools in 19 counties (Archer, Baylor, Concho, Coryell, Cottle, Ellis, Jones, Kendall, Lampasas, Limestone, Mills, Morris, Nolan, Rains, San Augustine, Shelby, Sutton, Tom Green and Van Zandt,). Field demonstrations were placed at a dairy in Archer County and at two feedyards in Tom Green County. The agents in each of the participating counties hung house fly bait stations 3-4 ft. or alternative trapping stations from the ground inside and around the barns. The stations were positioned out of reach of children and animals. Each county compared the effectiveness of the different insecticide baits and alternative pheromone traps provided by Bayer and Central Life Sciences in Dallas, TX. All of the participating counties, except Archer and Tom Green counties, made monthly counts of house flies (dead) inside the traps. Archer and Tom Green took weekly counts of the dead house flies from bait stations. The demonstrations were set up in May and were checked until the end of October. The results have shown some of the baits to be more effective than others, but there is thus far, no significant difference between the baits. Data shows a few more house flies killed with the QuickBayt fly bait but it is marginal in comparison when the total number of dead house flies (22,562 for QuickBayt, 14,715 for Golden Malrin and 13,584 for QuikStrike) are divided by the number of bait stations tested (respectively 1,410 (QB 16 sites), 865 (GM 17 sites), and 970 (QS 14 sites)). Results show all of the trap options to be effective, this year the QuikStrike had the lowest numbers when compared to the other baits but not by much. QuikStrike is known to not be as effective and resistance has been documented among the house fly population. Golden Malrin overall collected a large number of flies but when divided by the number of locations the number is much less than from 2013 and the other baits this year. The most successful bait used was QuickBayt, which is the newest chemical for house fly baits but resistance has been noted in laboratory testing and will be seen in natural populations with the overuse of the bait. The non-insecticidal traps showed excellent numbers (174,329) again and accurate results when changed on a monthly basis. In practical settings these traps are not changed as frequently as they should be and their effectiveness diminishes when the water and pheromone attractant run dry
Publications
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Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience: The efforts of my research is designed to target and assist cattle producers, ranch owners, livestock owners and student livestock show animal owners. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Reports are sent to the producers and agents that participate in the projects. In addition, the data will be presented at Extension programs. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Efficacy of Commonly used Pesticides for Horn Fly Control on Beef Cattle Field demonstrations were set up in sixteen counties from May 2013 to October 31, 2013. Two to four herds were used in each county. The herds in each county were given a different ear tag (one organophosphate, one pyrethroid and one macrocyclic lactone). Weekly counts of horn flies were made by randomly choosing 10 cows and counting the number of horn flies present on one side of the cow. The results show some of the ear tags being much more effective than others, while some of the ear tags did not give complete control for the entire summer months when horn fly densities are very high. The highest number of horn flies on average encountered by the control herds was 660 per one side at week 14 with the lowest number being 0 during week 1. The highest recorded number of horn flies was in Archer County at 1000 horn flies per side on multiple animals. When all the control herds are combined and averaged for the 26 week study period, the highest on average number of horn flies per side is 296 and the lowest is 66 horn flies per side. On average the ear tags percentage of control ranged from 86% with the XP820 abamectin tags to 63% with the Gardstar tags. The other tags were recorded at 81.9% for PYthon, 81.7% for Corathon, 81% for Optimizer, 77% for Patriot, 69% for Warrior, and 68% for PYthon Magnum. A few of the tags did not show as effective results as in previous years and I am curious to see if this trend continues in counties that have been a part of the project for a few years. House Fly Densities around Ag Barns and Dairies in North Central Texas Field demonstrations were set up at personal barns used to raise show animals and AG barns at high schools in 19 counties. The agents in each of the participating counties hung house fly bait stations 3-4 ft. or alternative trapping stations from the ground inside and around the barns. This year the number of fly catches varied from the previous year where QuickBayt was clearly the most effective bait. In addition, this year all the counties were given Golden Malrin bait to test in each barn they baited, this lead to an increase in the number of flies collected by Golden Malrin but that does not mean it is the most effective, although it could be. Overall Golden Malrin collected 31,121 house flies from 21 counties, QuikStrike collected 10,802 house flies from 14 counties, QuickBayt collected 24,717 house flies from 17 counties and the alternative pheromone traps collected 63,545 house flies from 8 counties. Comparison of House Fly and Stable Fly Populations at Two Different Types of Dairy Facilities in the Central Texas The project was designed to trap house flies and stable flies from both dairy facilities to compare the number of flies to the style of barn. The bait stations were changed on a weekly basis for twelve consecutive weeks and fly numbers were recorded. The sticky sleeve of the Olson biting trap was changed on a weekly basis for 12 weeks. The dry lot house fly bait traps collected a total number of 11946 house flies while the free stall house fly bait traps collected a total of 4324 house flies. The numbers were much higher for the dry lot than the free stall and this is the outcome I expected to see. Previous studies conducted in the Panhandle have shown the dry lot to have low house fly trap collections but thus far all the collected data from Central Texas has proven that to be incorrect. In addition to the house fly collections, stable fly traps were run and collected weekly, the traps are still being counted.
Publications
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Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Efficacy of Commonly used Pesticides for Horn Fly Control on Beef Cattle - Field demonstrations were set up in eight counties. The herds in each county were given a different ear tag (one organophosphate, one pyrethroid and one from a newer class or insecticide available in ear tags). Each county had a control herd for fly number comparisons. The county Ag agents made weekly counts of horn flies by randomly choosing 10 cows and counting the number of horn flies present on one side of the cow. At the completion of the experiment, the ear tags were removed and discarded of properly, and surveys were sent to the participants. House Fly Densities around Ag Barns and Dairies in North Central Texas - Field demonstrations were set up at personal barns used to raise show animals and AG barns at high schools in eight counties. In addition, field demonstrations were placed at three different dairies in Comanche and Erath counties. Each county compared the effectiveness of the different insecticide baits and alternative pheromone traps. The demonstrations were set up from May and were checked until mid November. Comparison of House Fly and Stable Fly Populations at Three Different Types of Dairy Facilities in the Texas Panhandle - The project was designed to trap house flies and stable flies from all three dairy facilities to compare the number of flies to the style of barn. The project was conducted from May 2010 to Aug 2011 and repeated again during the summers of 2011 and 2012. Evaluation of biting stable fly traps on Central Texas dairies - The products currently found on the market saying they are for stable fly control do not adequately provide any relief to the animal nor deter the biting or development of adult stable flies. The only assure way to adequately control for stable flies is proper sanitation with the assistance of biting fly traps. The goal of this outcome plan is to test the effectiveness of biting fly traps in controlling stable fly populations at central Texas dairies. Objectives - 1) to record the number of stable flies present throughout the 2012 fly season on dairy facilities; 2) to determine if alsynite traps lower the number of stable flies biting cows. PARTICIPANTS: All the projects were coordinated with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service AG agents and myself with product assistance from Y-Tex, Bayer and Central Life Sciences. TARGET AUDIENCES: Livestock owners, specifically cattle, are the main targeted audience. The projects are set up as demonstrations to provide crediability or lack of effectiveness for using fly control products currently available. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Efficacy of Commonly used Pesticides for Horn Fly Control on Beef Cattle - The highest number of horn flies encountered by the control herds was 1025 for one week with the lowest number being 6. The tagged herds recorded a high number of 157.5 horn flies one week and the lowest was 0. When all the control herds were combined and averaged for 26 weeks of the fly season, the lowest number of horn flies recorded was 65 in week 6 and the highest was 333 at week 15. The average number of horn flies counted on one side of the animals throughout the fly season was recorded at 150. The recorded results were a bit higher this year than in the previous year and that can be attributed to the drought that occurred in 2011. In 2012, it appears the life cycle peak of horn flies occurred in September instead of July. A final comparison of data from 2012 shows that the percentage of horn flies controlled in 2012 for the ear tags averaged from 86%, 74%, and 91% for pyrethroid, organophosphate and abamectin tags. All of the ear tags performed better in 2012 when compared to the 2011 and 2010 fly season. House Fly Densities around Ag Barns and Dairies in North Central Texas - The results have shown some of the baits to be more effective the others, but there is thus far, no consistency as to which one works the best. In addition to the baits, this year non-insecticidal traps were used. The traps are designed to attract house flies with a pheromone and cause the flies to be trapped within the device upon entering. Overall the QuickBayt traps collected 9965 from all eight counties, the QuikStrike traps collected 5233 house flies from six counties, the Golden Malrin collected 2611 house flies and 12842 house flies were collected from the four additional trapping devices. The total number of house flies collected this year from the eight counties combined equaled 30651 which eliminated the possible transmission of 6,130,200 pathogens. In comparison there were far more house flies collected in 2012 then to the house flies numbers collected in 2011 and 2010. The use of the non-insecticidal traps collected 6 times as many house flies in 2012 when compared to the traps used in 2011 which collected and killed 2078 house flies. This year house flies were collected from six different dairies in two separate counties. In Comanche County a total of 22,200 house flies were collected; 16,480 from QuickBayt, 3026 from QuikStrike, and 2694 from Golden Malrin. In Erath County a total of 31,645 house flies were collected; 21,409 from QuickBayt, 7579 from QuikStrike, and 2657 from Golden Malrin. More flies were collected in Erath Co. than Comanche Co. but the numbers are fairly close. Comparison of House Fly and Stable Fly Populations at Three Different Types of Dairy Facilities in the Texas Panhandle - The data from 2011 is still be analyzed and the 2012 has yet to be turned in. Evaluation of biting stable fly traps on Central Texas dairies - The data is still being analyzed but several thousand stable flies and other fly species were collected on the sticky sleeve traps on a weekly basis.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Efficacy of Ear Tags for Horn Fly Control in North Central Texas Management of one of the most important livestock pests, horn flies, can be accomplished by many different chemicals and products. The horn fly can consume 30-40 blood meals a day and lead to economic loss when densities reach over 500 per cow. Field demonstrations were set up in seven counties. Herds were given a different ear tag (one organophosphate, one pyrethroid and one from a newer class or insecticide available in ear tags). The herds in Bosque County were given either an organophosphate spray or an ear tag. Each county had a control herd for fly number comparisons. Weekly counts of horn flies were made by randomly choosing 10 cows and counting the number of horn flies present on one side of the cow. House Fly Densities around Ag Barns and Dairies in North Central Texas House flies pose a huge health risk for both humans and animals. A recently published article shows that house flies carry five more bacteria species in addition to the 200+ they have already been shown to carry. Animal facilities are an ideal location for breeding house flies and have huge densities throughout the summer months. Field demonstrations were set up at personal barns used to raise show animals, AG barns at high schools in eight counties and at three different dairies in Comanche and Hamilton counties. House fly bait stations or alternative trapping stations were hung. Each county compared the effectiveness of the different insecticide baits and alternative pheromone traps. All of the participating counties, except Comanche Co, made monthly counts of house flies (dead) inside the traps. Comanche County took weekly counts of the dead house flies from bait stations. Comparison of House Fly and Stable Fly Populations at Three Different Types of Dairy Facilities in the Texas Panahandle House flies pose a huge health risk for both humans and animals. Dairy facilities are an ideal location for breeding house flies and have huge densities throughout the summer months. Stable flies are of major economic importance in the United States and cost the country $1 billion annually. They are the most impacting of all the biting flies and cause pain, discomfort, blood loss, feed loss, decrease growth and reduced milk production on dairies. Dairy styles have been changed over the years to further improve cow health and reduce fly populations. There are three main styles of dairy facilities commonly used throughout the United States: dry lot, free stall and cross vent. The project was designed to trap house flies and stable flies from all three dairy facilities to compare the number of flies to the style of barn. The bait stations were changed on a weekly basis for twelve consecutive weeks and fly numbers were recorded. The sticky sleeve of the Olson biting trap was changed on a weekly basis for 12 weeks and stable fly numbers were recorded. PARTICIPANTS: Many Texas AgriLife County agents participated in the three projects; Lyle Zoeller, David Winkler, David Groschke, Nick Hoffman, Chelsea Farris, Aaron Low, Lee Dudley, Tommy Phillips, Ralph Davis, Fred Burrell, Pasquale Swaner, Whit Weems, Benji Henderson, Dustin Coufal, Jared Ripple, Armon Hewitt, Chad Gulley and Crispin Skinner. In addition, Y-Tex, Central Life Sciences, Bayer, and KMG donated product that was used for the projects. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audiences for the projects were adult livestock producers both commercial and small scale with the beef and dairy industry. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Efficacy of Ear Tags for Horn Fly Control in North Central Texas The highest number of horn flies encountered by the control herds was 850 with the lowest number being 90. The tagged herds recorded a high number of 172 horn flies and a low of 0. The lowest number of horn flies recorded was 115 in week 15 and the highest was 271.5 at week 27. The average threshold for economic loss due to horn fly feeding is 200 horn flies / animal. At the lowest week the horn fly population was averaging 230 horn flies / animal, 30 horn flies above the economic threshold. The tagged animals recorded lower numbers of horn flies throughout the majority of the fly season. The pyrethroid tags recorded a maximum of 81, a minimum of 6 and an average of 40 horn flies per side . The organophosphate tags recorded a maximum of 68, a minimum of 12 and an average of 34 horn flies per side. The abamectin maximum number was recorded on the first day of the study period at 165 but the minimum was noted to be 0, with an average of 18 horn flies per side. The endosulfan tags recorded a maximum of 69, a low of 7 and an average of 34 per side. House Fly Densities around Ag Barns and Dairies in North Central Texas Overall the QuickBayt traps collected 3508 from all seven counties, the QuikStrike traps collected 985 house flies from six counties, the Golden Malrin collected 1661 house flies from six counties and 2078 house flies were collected from the four additional trapping devices. The total number of house flies collected this year from the seven counties combined equaled 8232 which eliminated the possible transmission of 1,646,400 pathogens. The house flies collected in Comanche County totaled 35,524 house flies; 28878 from QuickBayt, 5164 from QuikStrike, 1349 from Golden Malrin and 133 with Fly Tape. In Hamilton County a total of 5814 house flies were collected; 1502 from QuickBayt, 797 from QuikStrike, 278 from Golden Malrin and 3237 from non-insecticidal Abatement Strips. Comparison of House Fly and Stable Fly Populations at Three Different Types of Dairy Facilities in the Texas Panahandle The dry lot house fly bait traps collected 418 house flies, the free stall house fly bait traps collected 5270 house flies and 2438 house flies were collected from the cross vent barn. The numbers were much less for the dry lot than hypothesized to be and this could be due to the improper placement of traps or distraction of the house flies. The number of stable flies collected from the dry lot was 18,067, free stall barn collected 5,423 and the cross vent barn collected 1,130. The a significant lower number of stable flies found in the cross vent barn. The dry lot barn results are typical of all dry lots that are known to have large numbers of stable flies attacking the cows.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Efficacy of Ear Tags for Horn Fly Control in North Central Texas Relevance Management of one of the most important livestock pests, horn flies, can be accomplished by many different chemicals and products. The horn fly can consume 30-40 blood meals a day and lead to economic loss when densities reach over 500 per cow. Not treating cattle for horn flies could be detrimental to the cattle, cost the producer money and unfair to the cattle who cannot protect themselves. With so many products and chemicals on the market it is hard to know what is the most effective and economical for long term control. Response Applied research projects were set up in four counties (Bosque, Coryell, Navarro and Somervell) from May 2010 to November 24, 2010. Three to four herds were used in each county. Ear tags were provided to the herds being treated and were put in by the county Ag agent (and myself when possible). Each herd was given a different ear tag (one organophosphate, one pyrethroid and one from a newer class or insecticide available in ear tags). The ear tags were provided by Y-Tex and KMG. Each county had an untreated herd for fly number comparisons. There were a total of 15 herds/participants for the study. The county Ag agent made weekly counts of horn flies by randomly choosing 10 cows and counting the number of horn flies present on one side of the cow. At the completion of the trial, ear tags were removed and surveys were sent to the participants. House Fly Densities around Ag Barns and Dairies in North Central Texas Relevance House flies pose a huge health risk for both humans and animals. A recently published article shows that house flies carry five more bacteria species in addition to the 200+ they have already been shown to carry. Animal facilities used for 4-H and FFA livestock projects are an ideal location for breeding house flies and high populations can develop throughout the summer months. The high populations can become a nuisance to neighbors and lead to complaints which may put the livestock projects at risk for being discontinued. Response Applied research projects were established at private facilities used to raise show animals and AG barns at high schools in five counties (Falls, Johnson, Limestone, Robertson and Williamson). The agents in each of the participating counties placed house fly bait stations 3-4 ft from the ground inside and around three facilities in each county. Each county compared the effectiveness of three different baits provided by Bayer and Central Life Sciences. Four of the participating counties made monthly counts of house flies (dead) inside the bait stations. Robertson County took weekly counts of the dead house flies from bait stations. The demonstrations were set up in mid April and were checked until mid November. PARTICIPANTS: The projects were accomplished by the donation of supplies by Central Life Sciences, KMG and Y-Tex. Financial support was also provided by Y-Tex Coorporation. Collaborators for each project consisted of Texas AgriLife Extension Service AG agents from nine counties; Lyle Zoeller, David Winkler, Derek Scasta, Josh Blanak, Chelsea Farris, Zach Davis, Dustin Coufal, Ed Schneider, and Pasquale Swaner. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience for these projects were beef producers and livestock barn owners (4-H show annimals and animals raised in a barn). PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Efficacy of Ear Tags for Horn Fly Control in North Central Texas, Results The data presented in Figure 1, shows the average weekly numbers counted per side on cows from the control, organophosphate, pyrethroid, endosulfan and avermectin ear tag groups. The avermectin ear tag product was shown to provide the greatest control for horn flies. Calves infested with more than 200 horn flies have been shown to gain 15 to 50 lbs less than normal. The control animals were found to have an average of 442 horn flies (221 / side), a maximum of 1066 (553 / side) and a minimum of 90 (45 / side). Without adequate horn fly control, young heifers and steers will be impacted from the horn fly infestations and will gain 19 - 31 lbs less than cattle treated for horn flies, based on the numbers counted for 2010. In a market where pounds are money, this would be costly to a producer selling 50 cattle 19 - 31 lbs under weight. A 500 lb steer would net $690 but a steer 19 lbs underweight would only get $658.65 and a steer 31 lbs underweight would only get $638.85. The impact of the horn flies would get a net loss for 50 steers of $1567.50, with a maximum loss of $2557.50. The amount of money lost surpasses the cost of ear tags to treat 50 cattle, OP = $241.30, Pyrethroid = $126.57, Endosulfan = $257.35, and Avermectin = $269.00, for five months of horn fly control. Figure 2 shows the percentage of control maintained by the ear tag groups for the study period of 2010. The tags were left in for 31 weeks, 11 more than suggested and the results indicate the lack of effectiveness by the products. For the majority of the products adequate control was maintained. House Fly Densities around Ag Barns and Dairies in North Central Texas Results The data collected from five counties in District 8 show that a large number of house flies were found dead in the scatter baits throughout the summer fly season of 2010. A total (Figure 1) of 26,465 dead house flies were collected in D8 with QuickBayt (imidacloprid), 12,743 dead house flies were collected in D8 with QuikStrike, and an astounding 10,678 dead house flies were collected with Golden Malrin in D8. The literature does not show house flies to have an economic impact on livestock animals; they are generally unbothered by their presence. In contrast, it only takes one house fly to upset a homeowner and cause an impact. Although a standard was not utilized in this project (will be included next year), results indicate that 49,886 house flies were killed. That information means that there were 49,886 house flies present for movement into urban areas where they can transmit with them over 200 different kinds of pathogens, thus removing up to 9,977,200 pathogens from the air and away from human contact.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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