Dung Beetles

Help Support CattleToday:

Jogeephus

At this instant I am of the opinion that the larger of the two beetles is the Gazella but not totally positive. Let me do some more research. I have the flying species that is at the bottom portion of that pic. On your next "outing" will you observe to see if there are deposits of dirt on or near the piles. This dirt will be what was excavated as the burrowing beetle digs its tunnel to deposit the manure. Your efforts are most appreciated and will be remembered.
 
Here is a picture of what you describe. You can see the worm like extrusions of soil. In about 3 days there is nothing left of a pie other than a thin skin on the top and underneath these skins there is nothing but the extruded soil.

IMG_4218.jpg
 
Jogeephus

The following article is by 2 of the most noted dung beetle researchers in Texas and Pat is the lady that gets most of the credit.
Being a thinking person, I believe you will read with interest the water retention improvement created by the beetles, particularly the Gazella ones. http://www.managingwholes.com/dung-beetles.htm

My farm was much as you describe yours when I purchased it 20 years ago. It sat on the market so long the listing contracts expired. My purchase was directly from the owner who was relieved to have found an idiot, me, and took his offer. Today it is not the same place but I am still wanting to improve the place. Like yourself I have learned to work with nature rather than oppose. That is why my interest which started in 2007 on dung beetles is again renewed. I am wanting the water retention enhancing first and the manure dispensing second.

I was dismayed when I mentioned here a few weeks ago about preserving the earthworms and the willingness of many to sacrifice or ignore the impact of their activities on the worm population on their places. Ten years ago I could not find an earthworm when I turned the soil. Now I can short my fence charger to wet soil and see numerous earthworms emerge.
 
Agmantoo - I, like MANY other producers deworm my cows twice a year, and have a healthy supply of Dung Beetles. Have you seen Cydectin advertising that they are the only dewormers that don't kill DB lately???? hmmm wonder why?
I have used Ivermectic injectable & pour on, Dectomax, Ivermectin knock-offs, Safeguard, but never used Cydectin. Top entomologist from Cornell agreed, the dewormers did not affect DB.
So, are you saying you don't deworm your cows?
Also, we have more than an ample supply of earth worms. We are fishermen and I often go out at night - night crawling. Takes just a few minutes to get 3-4 dozens. Earthworms are also a farmers friend. They make for a very healthy land, I totally agree.
Unfortunately, we don't have the larger varieties of DB - and I think they (DB) are relatively new to NY area. I think our largest are about 3/8" in size.
 
you might check this web sight for The Bugs, rinconvitova . com They sell all sort of ben. insects...do not know about the gazellas ....
 
Interesting article. I've observed much of what they mention. Personally I don't need better drainage but the DB's ability to add organic matter to the soil is greatly appreciated and has really helped out during the dry spells. I agree with Jeanne about the wormers. Personally I think some of the articles I've read about the decline of the DB population had agendas other than the truth. There could be a host of other limiting factors that influence them. My good friend was hired by a large company to investigate the nutrional value of chicken mcnuggets. He said he surely would never eat one but he did prove they were better for you than chicken. I know they were real good for his wallet since I know what they paid him and it would have been hard for me to have disputed his results given the same deal.
 
jeanne

You are correct in that I no longer worm the herd since I have reached the level of rotational grazing that I now have.
I am attaching a pic that I took yesterday before I gave them a new area to graze so that you can better see some of the animals. There are some Murray Grey animals in the bunch and they are brown so that is not a copper deficiency creating a color difference
IMG00229-20100513-1808.jpg
 
Cattle look good. How many more hours were they on that paddock? Will you have to mow it? How many cow units do you run per acre? Looking at the pic, if you were getting ready to move them, looks like a lot of waste. That is the reason we try to never let it get that old before grazing. If I had that much forage left when I moved them, it would have to be mowed & cattle would not have eaten weeds if there were any.
I think if you research it, rotational grazing does not eliminate the need for deworming. Areas vary, but I know in my area the eggs survive our summers & winters. So unless cattle are going on virgin land - forever - they do need deworming.
Just a management practice - either you use the tool or you don't. Yes, most adult cows can thrive just fine without deworming. But they are a constant "supplier" of eggs for the young stock to load up on.
My calves are dewormed twice during the summer months & again in the fall, and the cowherd is dewormed about 6 weeks after grazing starts & again in the fall.
 
Jeanne
The cattle get moved every 24 hours. This is a Spring time/seasonal situation in that I cannot get the cattle and forage balanced. Yes, they are wasting grass in that all was not eaten. I will mow and reintroduce the grazed waste as nutrient to the soil and will suppress what weeds that may exist. I have very few weeds so that does not pose much of a problem at this time. I am feeding the 92 mature head and roughly 53 calves at various weights on 6/10ths of an acre per day. Currently I have ~141 acres in this stage of growth. I am building root growth and their reserves so that I have options of grazing or using the plants to reseed or for stockpiling and future forage growth/survival. The mature cattle are getting more protein now than they need and I permit the calves to graze ahead of the herd. For emergency use I have stored 16 days worth of feed, no more. I have to make the grazing function regardless of the weather or buy feed or depopulate.
 
You guys have won me over. I walked the pasture this morning and looked for the beatles. Seems like I have a good crop of them. Never saw any of the rollers but at least two other types. Going to have to get some better "eyes" so I can identify them. Any cow piles over a couple of days old are just a skin on top. I had never looked before but I must be doing something right.
We have a pasture walk tomorrow night and I am going to have them looking.
 
Now you can impress your "pasture walkers" with info about DB!!! I wish we had rollers. They "seem" really efficient & beneficial. I know they are all "good", but rollers "seem" to be NEAT!
Have a great Pasture Walk.
 
Jogeephus":35jovflj said:
I don't use Ivermectin boluses so I can't comment on that but I do use Ivermectin and I can't see any problems with it. I'm sure it could kill them but ivermectin is in the same family of insecticides as the one that was making the false claims so I'll keep my business with the one that doesn't lie. I've also heard that farming is bad for them yet we do a lot of spraying and see no reduction in the population. When professors start pushing extreme ideas (not saying this one is) it just makes me wonder who is funding the research.
Click to expand...

I could remember reading an article, awhile back, that Arkansas State was doing research on the effects of insecticides on dung beetle populations. I found the article but did not find any followup reports on their findings. I sent an e-mail to the Dept. asking for information on their findings and will post them here if I get a response.

Here is a copy of the article:

http://biology.astate.edu/Outreach/ASUintheNews/138.Dung beetles helpful.pdf
 
Just playing devil's advocate here.
In my area the lowly pill bug does more to break down the manure pile than dung beetles.
The economic value of worming your cattle far out weighs the contribution of the dung beetle.
The long term effects of not worming can leave scar tissue in the rumen wall which may decline the efficiency and longevity of the cow over time.
The more important questions for choosing a worming medication are; What worms will it kill and does it last long enough to breakup the cycle killing newly hatched eggs.
 
Oh, when I was a kid & lived in Texas, we called them Doodle Bugs (or rollie pollie's?) hmmm I'm sure we have similar ones here - I'll have to look around. Seems like they are under rotten tree limbs & stuff like that - don't think I've seen them in manure piles. Have to watch for them in manure piles.
 
Jeanne - Simme Valley":jq1fm9ls said:
Oh, when I was a kid & lived in Texas, we called them Doodle Bugs (or rollie pollie's?) hmmm I'm sure we have similar ones here - I'll have to look around. Seems like they are under rotten tree limbs & stuff like that - don't think I've seen them in manure piles. Have to watch for them in manure piles.
Click to expand...
Look under the old dry ones.
 
rollie pollies.
Hadn't heard that since my girls quit playing in dirt.
I'll have to keep an eye out for them in the dung.
I didn't know they did that kind of work.
 

Similar threads

F
Dung Beetles
Replies
12
Views
1K
ALACOWMAN
A
cmf1
DUNG BEETLES??
Replies
3
Views
699
cmf1
cmf1
Chuckie
Dung Beetles Got Busy
Replies
3
Views
817
Chuckie
Chuckie
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Dung Beetles - Yahoo!
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
Running Arrow Bill
Running Arrow Bill
A
Dung beetles
2
Replies
25
Views
5K
TexasBred
TexasBred

Latest posts

Top