Pesky Bugs on the Outside

Our previous post covered how we deal with bugs that bother our herd on the inside.  Everyone is probably more familiar with those pesky bugs that bother our cows on the outside.  Yes, cows come with a fly swatter on their hind end, but here we list a few management practices that help our herd put up with these pesky bugs.

Did you know some cows attract more flies?

Apparently the level of testosterone within an animal makes a difference in attracting flies.  Usually bulls will attract more flies than cows.  So if we have a cow attracting a larger number of flies, that is a red flag.  The cow shown in the photo with higher fly pressure is on our list to be culled.

Many cattle owners don’t know there is a difference in fly pressure between cows.  The use of insecticide feed, ear tags and pour-on products prevent their cows from displaying fly pressure.  If this last sentence is confusing to you, many farms use chemical fly control in the following ways:

• Cows are actually fed larvicide and insect growth regulators!  Yuck!
• Ear tags contain insecticides.
• Insecticides are actually “poured onto” the back of cows.

Remember, pests are natures way of eliminating the weak.  The use insecticide products on cattle across our land accomplishes two things:

1. Allows poor (weak) cattle to stay in the herd.
2. Creates super flies that are resistant to chemicals.

Super Files

Since we mimic natures management with our cattle herd, we are not worried about the super flies being created by the use of insecticides on other herds.  No chemical insecticides used on our herd.  Fly management starts with manure management, flies lay their eggs in cow pies.  Our fly management includes:

• MOVE!
  • It takes a few days for fly eggs to hatch and mature.
  • We keep the herd in front of the flies the best we can.
• Pasture Diversity!
  • There are all kinds of critters that feed on flies and their larvae.
  • Dung beetles, birds and other creepy crawly things in the soil are encouraged.
  • Unfortunately, those using poisons are reducing natural predators in the process.
• Stock Density.
  • With tight herd moves cattle will smear their recent manure pats before moving to fresh pasture.
  • Smeared cow pies = destroying the habitat for fly larvae.
• Minerals.
  • Sulfur seems to be a key mineral for repelling all kinds of pests.
  • Pests avoid healthy animals, they are searching for the weak.
  • Minerals keep our cattle immune system working properly.
• Natural “organic” repellents.
  • Until we can get the animal culled from our herd we have had good luck with “Eco-Phyte” from AGRI-DYNAMICS.
    • Contains essential oils such as lemongrass and eucalyptus.
    • There are other organic products to consider.
  • These type of products are becoming more available as alternatives to Deet based products for humans now days!

Recommended Reading

For more on flies and herd health we recommend you search the following sources:

• Will Winter, DVM.  Try searching his blog for “flies”.
• Pharo Cattle Company.  Try searching the blog for “fly resistance”.