Jan.
2, 2013 — U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are developing
strategies to help livestock producers control stable flies, the most damaging
arthropod pests of cattle in the United States.
An
economic impact assessment by scientists at the Agricultural Research Service
(ARS) Agroecosystem Management Research Unit (AMRU) in Lincoln, Neb., looked at
four sectors of cattle production: dairy, cow/calf, pastured and range stocker,
and animals on feed. They found that stable flies cost the U.S. cattle industry
more than $2.4 billion each year, due to reduced milk production in dairy cows,
decreased weight gain in beef cattle, and lowered feed efficiency.
Stable
flies are not only a problem in barnyards and stables for which they are named,
but in pastures as well. AMRU entomologist David Taylor and his colleagues
showed that this is partly due to the use of large bales of hay placed in
fields as supplemental feed for cattle during winter. These feeding sites where
wasted hay, manure and urine accumulate produce an ideal habit for stable
flies.
To
find an easy, inexpensive, quick way to control stable flies, Taylor tested
cyromazine, an insect growth regulator that interferes with molting and proper
development of an insect's external skeleton. A single application of
cyromazine sprinkled on a hay-feeding site reduced the number of emerging adult
stable flies by 97 percent. The treatment took 10 minutes, cost $10 per site
and was effective for 10 to 20 weeks.
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