Agricultural News
The War on Pests - Make Your Pasture a NO-FLY Zone
Mon, 10 Oct 2016 12:36:10 CDT
At the recent Beef Stocker Field Day hosted by Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University Entomologist Dr. Justin Talley, briefed attending producers on the impact external pests, such as flies, can have on cattle herds. Farm Director Ron Hays spoke with Dr. Talley about the information he passed on to producers during the field day.
"Our biggest impact are Horn flies, when you look at them because their season, and then there is the small flies on the backs of the animal," Talley said. "They can reach up to 1,000 per animal if they go untreated."
Dr. Tally says an individual fly will pierce the skin of an animal up to 24 different times per day. The cumulative effect of this builds stress in the animal, little by little. He strongly recommends treating your animals, but in a way that manages the build-up of resistance in the flies.
"You have got to rotate the chemical classes," Talley said, "because we have high levels of resistance in Horn fly populations."
This can rapidly become a problem, especially in high summer temperatures when generation rates can skyrocket, according to Dr. Talley. He says this can cause resistance to build at an even faster rate.
"You essentially are trying to put something out there that's not controlling the flies," Talley said.
For producers looking to start a fly-control program, Talley recommends buying the more affective name brand products rather than the less reliable generic brands, rotating chemical classes regularly and not applying product in or in the near eventuality of rain.
Listen to Dr. Justin Talley and Farm Director Ron Hays' full discussion on fly control and pest management on today's Beef Buzz.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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