fly control

[memanpa]

i have a small feed lot here in az (12 -15 head) the past two years i have really fought flys!
i am currently using a water based spray that has permetrrin, piperonyl
and a bunch of other crap in it it!
spray every other day in the corrals, cattle daily! flys flys flys!!!!!!
i don't seem to have this problem at my place in ok, at least no where as bad
(running cattle on pasture not feed lot)
any one i repeat anyone have a good solution to my delimna!
my darling bride of 30+ yrs is about to toss me out, sell my cattle, reposses my dog, and has even threatened my with some major bodily damage if i don't find a solution.
help help help
thanks in advance
memanpa

 

[dun]

If I remmeber correctly there is no slaughter withholding time for the various larvacides. Rabon and a couple of others are on the market. Trying to control the adults is pretty useless without putting a kink in the reproduction part. That's where the larvacides come in.

dun

 

[Farmhand]

We use a cattle rub by the water tank so they have to walk under it to drink. We use Prolate with diesel fuel. Works for us.

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

I use ear tags (spring and fall) and use the fly blocks (rabon) early in the spring to reduce the population...and get pretty good control. ;-) :cboy:

 

[cherokeeruby]

We use Brahman cattle for our fly control.

 

[shorty]

In the summertime we use a mineral mix with rabon in , it seems to help

 

[Big D]

I also run a small feedlot. About ten years or so ago we too were tired of spraying and fighting flys. We consulted the local extension agent, which happen to be my cousin who lived in the house at the feedlot. He gave me the name of a former extension man who started a consulting business for feedlots. He came out and toured the whole farm and wrote down a list of things. His only recommendation was for us to clean house, (we were fighting stable flys) some times we would feed round bales and once it rained or snowed this stuff began decomposing, the perfect place for flys to lay eggs. After doing the cleaning, and from then on keeping things clean, even around the mill or bunklines where feed may have spilled, things have improved greatly. I have not sprayed for flys ever since. Usally once a summer the stable flys move in and if they do not have any breeding ground they either parish or move on. Stable flies will travel up to one mile to lay there eggs, so you need to consider your neighbors as well.
This consultant took me to the end of a bunkline where the cattle would always push a little feed out, I could not belive all of the larva in that little area.
However if your not fighting stable flies this may not help much.
good luck!!!

 

[samm]

how long before the rabon blocks become effective in the cows system ??

 

[dun]

how long before the rabon blocks become effective in the cows system ??

It actaully has nothing to do with the cows system. It's the rabon being passed through the cow in the manure. The eggs will hatch in the manure but not pass through the larva stage to adulthood. BTW, wild turkeys love those pats with the larva in them. We start feeding it in loose minerals befoe the beginning of fly season, except his year when it seems like it's been fly season for most of the winter.

dun

 

[memanpa]

ruby, quick question? how long did it take to train your cattle to be (fly control techs?)

do they just stomp on the little critters to control them? use swatters?
would it be possible to borrow your best trained one to show mine how to do it?
just kidding

this is what makes this a great site, very informative, by knowledgble people who are willing to share!
thanks all

 

[jkwilson]

I've heard a few reports of people having success with fly parasites. It takes a bunch, and you have to release new ones every month, but the reports I've heard from one guy are pretty amazing. Went from not being able to sit on his deck for the flies to being able to eat out there. No first hand knowledge, but why would somebody lie about that?
The problem is, you have to stop any premise spraying or IGR feeding to protect the parasites.

 

[jerry27150]

that's what i use, little dung beetles. they are here naturally. i think the only wormer that doesn't kill them is cydectin, which is why i use that when i do worm some. they had a good show on rfd a couple years ago about what a good job the dung beetles do if you don't kill them. i guess they are the only natural fly killer that flies don't build any immunity to & they don't hurt the environment one little bit

 

[dun]

Don;t see many dung beatles around here. They have too hard of a time getting mining permits.

dun

 

[jt]

i understand that those dung beetles are suppose to be good on the ground too.. working that stuff in... anyway.. i dont have any dung beetles because i use ivomec..

jerry.. does the cydectin do a good job for you? i know a good many on these boards dont like it, but i have never tried it. had considered trying it at one time because of the dung beetles, but just havent yet.

jt

 

[icandoit]

Anybody ever use, "Five Star Mineral Tub Plus IGR (insect growth regulator)? Supposed to control adult horn fly emergence from manure.

Dick

 

[jerry27150]

jt yes it seems to do a real good job, i have used ivomec & eprinex & as far as worms it will do as good of job in my opinion. it won't kill horn flies for as long , but it lets the beetles take care of most of them anyway. those guys that use ivomec & rabon kill off the dung beetle poulation & still have flies. i thought most people had quit using rabon, years ago it was tested on dairy farms in pa. by an agway rep ( largest feed co. in norteast) & they found unless you got everybody to use it the flies would hatch out a plenty & travel miles to get to your farm

 

[dun]

years ago it was tested on dairy farms in pa. by an agway rep ( largest feed co. in norteast) & they found unless you got everybody to use it the flies would hatch out a plenty & travel miles to get to your farm

What product does agway make that competes with those containing Rabon?

dun

 

[jerry27150]

dun, i have no idea what else is on the market for flies, but they ran so many farmers out in the northeast that agway filed bankruptcy. i was notified a year or two ago. i'm sure there are different things that work on the manure but it still only kills the ones on your farm. you should definitely have dung beetles in your area if they ae up here. the last two years i quit spraying & have had less flies b/c of the beetles. rfd had agood show about them a year or two ago, before then i knew nothing about them. when it gets warm in the summer a cow flops they are there in a minute

 

[dun]

The reason I asked is because generally when a company disparages another product or claims it doesn't work is because they have something better or at least different. We don;t spray. Wipes at the water points and larvacide in the loose minerals. Rotational grazing helps too. We have some flys, they're are probably flys on the moon, but not many or enough to be a problem. And yes, we're surrounded by cattle. One side of the 240 has a 40 acre buffer of woods between us and the cattle there, but other then that and a little misc. piece here and there there are Holsteins/dairys or beef cows on all sides, and for many miles around. Maybe they have enough fresh meat at those places that they don;t need us for a dinner spot.

dun

 

[greenwillowherefords]

We use a cattle rub by the water tank so they have to walk under it to drink. We use Prolate with diesel fuel. Works for us.

Same here. I rotate chemicals to prevent immunity. Also use some fly control mineral.