Fly resistance

[genebo]

Kit Pharo is a beef breeder with a huge interest in improving the profitability of beef cattle. Quite often, his findings are of interest to all cattle breeders.

Here is an excerpt from his lates Pharo Cattle Company Update:

"Dayton Steelman, a retired entomologist at the University of Arkansas, believes the heritability for fly resistance is 58% – which is very high. With this in mind, I believe fly resistance is a trait all seedstock producers should be monitoring and selecting for. Steelman studied horn flies and their effect on beef cattle for over fifteen years. His research led him to the following conclusions:

1. Some breeds, such as Brahman, are much more resistant to horn flies. They have three times the number of hairs per unit of surface area than do most British and Continental breeds.

2. Within a breed, some individuals are much more resistant to horn flies than others.

3. Smaller framed animals have significantly fewer flies than larger framed animals within the same breed. Cattle of the same breed seem to be born with approximately the same numbers of hairs. When you enlarge the frame size, you have fewer hairs per square inch. The bigger the animal, the greater the distance between hairs.

4. Every hair follicle has two sebaceous glands that secrete a substance that reflects sunlight (heat) and provides a natural resistance to insects. The more hairs, the more secretion. Cattle that have a very slick and shiny summer hair coat seldom have much in the way of fly problems.

5. Horn flies have an anti-coagulate factor in their saliva that prevents blood clotting while they are feeding. Some beef animals have a higher level of a natural chemical called thrombin that works to counteract the fly’s anti-coagulate. Simply by selecting for animals that have a higher level of thrombin in their blood, we can effectively select for horn fly resistance.

6. Bulls, because of their testosterone, will typically have two to four times more flies than cows. Flies are attracted to testosterone."

[Deleted]

the flies definitely hit bulls worse. I figure there is something they can smell that we cant. You can use that to your advantage. Bulls like to scratch on things more than others. So a properly placed rubber with the right fly insecticide on it can help. Flies go to the bulls and the bulls rub on the insecticide rubber = less flies.

I try to do everything as organic as possible but when it comes to flies I give. The flies really make life miserable for the cows. and then there is the pink eye cost me a lot of money and time and pain for the cows. I have made stands on wheels that hold a 10' rubber. I can move them around the field with the 4 wheeler or by hand if the grass is not to tall and dont have far to go. I position them with there water as we rotate. You do have to keep them loaded up with mix especially when we have all of this rain and keeps washing it off. A few dry days and the flies fall down to a very low level. I do get a serge a day or 2 after the rains. 

[genebo]

As far as I'm concerned, there are no rules when it comes to flies. Hit 'em hard with whatever works!

I don't know if it would pass the test to be called organic, but the safest and most natural way to fight flies with a product they rub on or you spray or dust on, is with pyrethrins.

www.picaridin.info/pyrethrin.htm

Permethrins are synthetic substitutes for pyrethrins. Sometimes my feed store is out of pyrethrins, so I'll use permethrin instead. As a back rub or a spray-on, I can't tell the difference. Both kill flies.

I haven't had a case of pinkeye yet and I'm determined not to.

I like the results I get from fly predators and am sold on the Epps fly trap for bitibg flies.