NCBA AUDIO: Mark Upton, Central Life Sciences
One of the most impactful pests for cattle producers is the horn fly. These small pests can cause major financial losses for farmers.
According to research from Texas A&M University, the adult horn fly is 3-5 millimeters long with piercing mouthparts that are painful to cattle. The flies take approximately 20-30 bloodmeals from a cow per day, and they stay in continual contact with the cattle, resting on them between feedings. Mark Upton with Central Life Sciences tells the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network that if cows aren?t treated, it can lead to a 12% decrease in the average daily growth rate of nursing calves.
?Most producers don?t realize it, but the biggest economic problem that a pastured cow has is horn flies,? said Upton. ?It?s over a billion dollars a year in terms of economic losses just to that horn fly.?
Upton says horn flies transmit diseases to cattle. Infested cattle react by licking their backs, twitching their flanks, switching their tails, and kicking at their bellies with their hind legs.
?What we would tell you is that if you?ve got more than 200 flies on a cow, you have a problem,? said Upton. ?We want to keep it at less than 200 flies. And we don?t expect you obviously to be out there trying to count those flies, but you can just tell ? even on a black hided cow ? you will see a bunch of flies up on the backs of those cows. If you see that, you need to do something about it.?
Texas A&M researchers say the most effective way to control horn fly populations is to take an integrated pest management approach to the horn flies. Upton says Central Life Sciences offers Altosid IGR as a solution.
?Altosid is fed to cows on pasture. We?re just feeding it to that cow so she can put it through to the manure. The horn fly only lays its egg in the manure. We feed the Altosid to the cow, she puts it in the manure, that fly lays its egg in that manure, and it prevents them from becoming an adult. It?s a prevention strategy versus waiting until there?s a lot of flies and having to treat to get them killed off.?
Upton made his comments at the 2022 NCBA Convention in Houston, Texas.
