Horn Fly Control On Beef Cattle

Author : Brandon G. Smythe
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 210 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (93 download)

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Download or read book Behavioral Responses of Cattle Under Naturally-occuring Seasonal Populations of Horn Flies (Diptera: Muscidae) Under Rangeland Conditions written by Brandon G. Smythe and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The horn fly (Diptera: Muscidae) is readily considered the most detrimental ectoparasite affecting rangeland cattle. The economic impacts of this pest, often manifested in decreased weight gains and milk production, have been well documented. The purpose of this study was to evaluate horn fly-induced behavioral modifications expressed by rangeland cattle under an effective horn fly control regime. Naturally-occurring seasonal horn fly populations were controlled using an emulsifiable insecticide labeled for use as a spray on beef cattle containing 10% permethrin. Horn fly populations were estimated using daily visual count of each animal herd used in four experimental trials. Horn fly control between pre- and post-treatment periods was desirable using this regime. Data used for evaluating behavioral modifications following insecticide control were acquired from global posting system (GPS) units fitted to the animal as a collar. The behaviors derived from these GPS data included, distance travelled, minimum convex polygons, vertical and horizontal head movements, as well as visits to, time spent at, and maximum distance from water features. In addition, velocity based categorization of animal activities such as time spent resting, grazing, and walking were evaluated. Despite successful horn fly control between pre- and post-treatment periods, no significant differences were detected for any of the animal behaviors evaluated. However, slight trends were noticed during the nighttime hours between treatment periods.