My little Dungsters are finally back!

[gabby]

It's been FIVE YEARS since I quit using fly minerals and the Dungsters are finally making a comeback!

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Enlighten us that are not Georgians -- what are little Dungsters?

 

[kenny thomas]

:idea: Light just went off in my head. I watch for dung beetles all the time. I have not seen as many this summer but thought it was because of the heat. I started using IGR this year in my mineral. Have i killed a lot of my beetles?

 

[dun]

:idea: Light just went off in my head. I watch for dung beetles all the time. I have not seen as many this summer but thought it was because of the heat. I started using IGR this year in my mineral. Have i killed a lot of my beetles?

No you haven;t

 

[hillsdown]

http://www.kmgb.com/kmg/pdf/Rabon_Produ ... ochure.pdf

http://www.altosidigr.com/pdfs/AltosidIGR_product.pdf

No Effects on
Beneficial Insects.
Residual insecticides, such as
organophosphates, are toxic to
beneficial insects, such as
coprophagous flies and beetles,
predacious beetles, parasitic wasps
and dung beetles. Altosid IGR
does not disrupt dung composition
and does not harm beneficial insects.

 

[kenny thomas]

Good, maybe it is the heat.

 

[TexasBred]

Your dung beetles may have disappeared but look for another cause. It was not the IGR mineral.

 

[gabby]

:idea: Light just went off in my head. I watch for dung beetles all the time. I have not seen as many this summer but thought it was because of the heat. I started using IGR this year in my mineral. Have i killed a lot of my beetles?

Fly minerals killed mine.

 

[TexasBred]

:idea: Light just went off in my head. I watch for dung beetles all the time. I have not seen as many this summer but thought it was because of the heat. I started using IGR this year in my mineral. Have i killed a lot of my beetles?

Fly minerals killed mine.

:bs: :bs: :bang:

 

[gabby]

:idea: Light just went off in my head. I watch for dung beetles all the time. I have not seen as many this summer but thought it was because of the heat. I started using IGR this year in my mineral. Have i killed a lot of my beetles?

Fly minerals killed mine.

:bs: :bs: :bang:

TB,
Seven years ago I used fly minerals for two years until I noticed all my dung beetles were gone. I stopped using fly minerals five years ago and now my dung beetles are back. Nothing else changed. How would you explain it?

 

[TexasBred]

Coincidence....nothing more. But if you really believe that was the culprit nobody will ever change your mind. Research does not support your claim.

 

[highgrit]

Do you deworm your cows?? Ivermectin is some is bad stuff, but it sure works good. Rabon is the poison in the fly control mineral and its not suppose to hurt dung beetles. Believe nothing you hear, and only 1/2 of what you see might be right this time?? Who did the research?

 

[wbvs58]

Is it just me. I keep looking at that photo and can't find anything other than grass, a shoe and a bit of dung. Am I supposed to see something else?
Ken

 

[agmantoo]

From what I have read the adult dung beetles were not significantly impact by IGR. That is what the makers of the IGR products want you to believe. Read further and what you find is that it was the Progeny that is impacted. Most insects do not have long lives. It is the offspring that is important in maintaining population.

The effects of insect growth regulators (IGR), diflubenzuron and methoprene, on African dung beetle, Digitonthophagus gazella (Fabricius), a natural enemy of the horn fly, Haematobia irritans irritans (Linnaeus), was studied. Beetles were placed in buckets partially filled with humid soil and were fed bovine feces containing 1, 0.5, or 0.2ppm diflubenzuron and 0.2ppm methoprene. Insects and their progenies were recovered by pitfall traps. Diflubenzuron and methoprene did not affect the survival of the adults but reduced their progenies. Diflubenzuron 1 and 0.5ppm also affected the life cicle of the beetles. None of the IGR modified the gender ratio of the progenies. According to the IOBC criteria, diflubenzuron tested concentrations showed to be moderately harmful to the beetles, whereas methoprene 0.2ppm was slightly harmful.

 

[djinwa]

Is it just me. I keep looking at that photo and can't find anything other than grass, a shoe and a bit of dung. Am I supposed to see something else?
Ken

Huge beetles. This one is wearing shoes.

Actually, I'm with you. Can't see a thing.

 

[JSCATTLE]

if you look at the center of the pile of dung ... you will see dirt that is where the beetles are digging ... I use igr and have for about 5 years... no dung beetle loss... I use cydectin wormer to avoid killing the dung beetles

 

[piedmontese]

if you look at the center of the pile of dung ... you will see dirt that is where the beetles are digging ... I use igr and have for about 5 years... no dung beetle loss... I use cydectin wormer to avoid killing the dung beetles

so does ivermectin kill the beetles?

 

[gabby]

Coincidence....nothing more. But if you really believe that was the culprit nobody will ever change your mind. Research does not support your claim.

Coincidence my arse.

Minerals have other pitfalls such as encephalomalagia (sp?) where too much mineral intake upsets the nervous system and the cow gets down and can't get up. I named it the Staggers. I lost 4 good cows over a period of time after I switched from trace mineral blocks to 100% loose minerals. Tried to get feedback from this board and all I got was a blow off, especially from the sellers of minerals on this board. Finally heard a specialist confirm its existence in a cattleman's association program.

Since I stopped feeding 100% minerals and went to 50/50 loose minerals and tm salt blocks I haven't had any more Staggers. I guess that's coincidence too, TB? Do you sell minerals?

 

[JSCATTLE]

if you look at the center of the pile of dung ... you will see dirt that is where the beetles are digging ... I use igr and have for about 5 years... no dung beetle loss... I use cydectin wormer to avoid killing the dung beetles

so does ivermectin kill the beetles?

I'm not sure but cydectin specifies that it won't kill them..I first saw it on the American rancher ...and read about 4 years ago in the cattleman mag. That cydectin was the only one that wouldn't kill beetles .

 

[TexasBred]

Coincidence....nothing more. But if you really believe that was the culprit nobody will ever change your mind. Research does not support your claim.

Coincidence my arse.

Minerals have other pitfalls such as encephalomalagia (sp?) where too much mineral intake upsets the nervous system and the cow gets down and can't get up. I named it the Staggers. I lost 4 good cows over a period of time after I switched from trace mineral blocks to 100% loose minerals. Tried to get feedback from this board and all I got was a blow off, especially from the sellers of minerals on this board. Finally heard a specialist confirm its existence in a cattleman's association program.

Since I stopped feeding 100% minerals and went to 50/50 loose minerals and tm salt blocks I haven't had any more Staggers. I guess that's coincidence too, TB? Do you sell minerals?

Sorry Gabby but I don't sell mineral. I have made a lot over the years tho. If we go to looking at "what if's" dang near anything can kill a cow given in excess... Even feed and/or water !!!! I have no idea what kind of mineral you were feeding, what kind of cattle you were feeding or the overall circumstances surrounding your herd but you'll seldom see a cow have adverse reactions to mineral fed "as directed". But if your system is working by all means don't change a thing. ;-)