Fly Tags

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bwranch

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I was wondering about the effectiveness of ear tags compared to pour ons for fly control. We're in east central Missouri and have been using durasect II for the last several years. Wondering how well the tags work and what brand people are using.

Lee
 
In my opinion the fly tag companies are selling people a bill of goods. We have tried them and noticed very little difference between a tag and no tag, certainly not enough to be worth the time and trouble.

Craig-TX
 
bwranch":3m5avuex said:
I was wondering about the effectiveness of ear tags compared to pour ons for fly control. We're in east central Missouri and have been using durasect II for the last several years. Wondering how well the tags work and what brand people are using.

Lee

we use pour-on istead of tags, but the tags can and do work. one thing you may want to try is switching out brands. if you continue to use the same brand w/the same insecticide, the flies can become resistant.
 
One problem with the tags is that as they loose there potentcy they should be removed and replaced. If they're not removed, the low dosage of the remaining chemical can cause a resistence to that particular chemical in subsequent uses.

dun


txag":oj65dyb8 said:
bwranch":oj65dyb8 said:
I was wondering about the effectiveness of ear tags compared to pour ons for fly control. We're in east central Missouri and have been using durasect II for the last several years. Wondering how well the tags work and what brand people are using.

Lee

we use pour-on istead of tags, but the tags can and do work. one thing you may want to try is switching out brands. if you continue to use the same brand w/the same insecticide, the flies can become resistant.
 
With animals that are out in a pasture, I don't see much difference in the ones with ear tags and the ones without.
BUT for bottle calves that are still stalled I've found the ear tags to be a great help, in conjunction with a spray.
The one's I use claim that they're effective for 5 months, so we take them out when cold weather comes (mainly to prevent the calves from ripping them out)

Ann B
 
We started using fly tags last spring and were very impressed. We have previously used a variety of powders and sprays with limited success. We tagged everything when we worked the cattle last spring and flies just never became a problem all summer. We replaced the tags when we penned again in the fall and we have replaced them again this spring with another brand, as suggested above. Based on this very limited antidotal evidence, I like them. Either we had an exceptionally light fly season last year or the fly tags really did their job.
 
We use fly tags also and love them. They are a lot less work than other methods. If you have a long warm season like we do in Texas, you may need to replace them mid-season (some brands fare better than others). We make sure that we cut them off every fall and switch insecticide types every year. Flies can build up a resistance to the chemicals when they are left on and have little chemical left in the tags. Also flies can build up a resistance when the same type of chemical tag is applied every year.
 

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