Ticks

[TCRanch]

or is it something about their blood type or body chemistry that just attracts pests?

Legit question. I have some cows that seem to attract more flies than others and sometimes it runs in the family, with heifers I've retained attracting more flies. If I spray all the cattle at the same time, there are always a few (the same ones) that are already covered again within a few days.

 

[4hfarms]

I have a black and white bull that is harassed by flys. Sprayed him yesterday and he has more today. Much less but still has some. My other dark is a brindle cow has some but not much. The rest are red variations and not bothered much.

 

[Travlr]

Got this pic off Facebook this morning. They stated animal was perfectly fine Saturday evening. Found it dead yesterday, Tuesday.

Are those ticks all over it? My first thought was flies, but it's hard to tell.

 

[bird dog]

It looks photo shopped or AI generated. . Notice how every tick is the same size? I asked just to see the answer bu still don't really know.




AI Overview



That specific Facebook image is likely fake or misleading. While it is physically possible for a dead animal to attract large amounts of ticks, many viral images on Facebook showing a cow completely coated in ticks are either digitally altered or staged.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

I was going to post this here in the screw worm dept. but this is about ticks. There is another exotic disease brought in from overseas that is already gotten way and is wide spread in the nation and near impossible to eradicate. All cloven footed animals are susceptible, cattle, deer, sheep, goats. The ticks are spread by wildlife or infected stock shipped in. Cattle that recover from it are carriers for life and the ticks from them are spread to others.
https://ksvdl.org/resources/news/di...25/bovine-theileria-orientalis-ikeda-map.html
The case in central northern California is 200 miles away from me as the crow flies.

They are tiny little bass tards. The female Asian Longhorn ticks don't need a male in order to reproduce. In the US, all ALTs are female, and each can produce 1,000-2,000 female offspring, allowing the tick population to rapidly explode.

In Texas before the dad gummed fire ants moved in the ticks were really bad. Anyone coming in from working outside had to have their person examined for crawling or embedded seed ticks and their clothes washed in soap and hot water. That's how bad it was. Then the fire ants took over within a couple of years there were no ticks. Fire Ants ate all the baby ticks. But the fire ants were worse than the ticks. They blinded and killed newborn calves and even climbed into the trees killing baby birds in the nest. They even overcame and killed people who fell outside and could not get up.


What happened was, the scientists at Texas A&M found a fire ant predator in their native South America. Its a tiny gnat that eats fire ant's brains. They bred and released millions of gnats. In a few years there were hardly any fire ant mounds and the native ants came back.

There was one colony of Harvester ants on way into the hay field that I personally knew for over 30 years They came back also. Harvester ants are the kind sold to kids with toy ant farms.


Probably all the states that have Asian Longhorn ticks are not going to import fire ants.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

I was going to post this here in the screw worm dept. but this is about ticks. There is another exotic disease brought in from overseas that is already gotten way and is wide spread in the nation and near impossible to eradicate. All cloven footed animals are susceptible, cattle, deer, sheep, goats. The ticks are spread by wildlife or infected stock shipped in. Cattle that recover from it are carriers for life and the ticks from them are spread to others.
https://ksvdl.org/resources/news/di...25/bovine-theileria-orientalis-ikeda-map.html
The case in central northern California is 200 miles away from me as the crow flies.

They are tiny little bass tards. The female Asian Longhorn ticks don't need a male in order to reproduce. In the US, all ALTs are female, and each can produce 1,000-2,000 female offspring, allowing the tick population to rapidly explode.

In Texas before the dad gummed fire ants moved in the ticks were really bad. Anyone coming in from working outside had to have their person examined for crawling or embedded seed ticks and their clothes washed in soap and hot water. That's how bad it was. Then the fire ants took over within a couple of years there were no ticks. Fire Ants ate all the baby ticks. But the fire ants were worse than the ticks. They blinded and killed newborn calves and even climbed into the trees killing baby birds in the nest. They even overcame and killed people who fell outside and could not get up.
View attachment 68618

What happened was, the scientists at Texas A&M found a fire ant predator in their native South America. Its a tiny gnat that eats fire ant's brains. They bred and released millions of gnats. In a few years there were hardly any fire ant mounds and the native ants came back.

There was one colony of Harvester ants on way into the hay field that I personally knew for over 30 years They came back also. Harvester ants are the kind sold to kids with toy ant farms.
View attachment 68619

Probably all the states that have Asian Longhorn ticks are not going to import fire ants.

 

[farmerjan]

Theileria has been in the east for several years... Nothing new for us to be dealing with that also... Had a cow test positive for it, could not carry a pregnancy after several years of being a successful brood cow.. Shipped her after confirmed pregnancy, then open , then confirmed preg again and then losing calf again... had a blood sample run thinking we had a major lepto problem ..... nothing that simple...

The thoughts are that it was running along the I-81 corridor... possibly from infected ticks coming off cattle through interstate transport...???? Has spread away from that corridor... Just know that it is here and has been for at least 3-5 years that I am aware of...

There were some serious cases of theileria that a farm lost several head of reg cattle to... until they got it figured out...

 

[kenny thomas]

Theileria has been in the east for several years... Nothing new for us to be dealing with that also... Had a cow test positive for it, could not carry a pregnancy after several years of being a successful brood cow.. Shipped her after confirmed pregnancy, then open , then confirmed preg again and then losing calf again... had a blood sample run thinking we had a major lepto problem ..... nothing that simple...

The thoughts are that it was running along the I-81 corridor... possibly from infected ticks coming off cattle through interstate transport...???? Has spread away from that corridor... Just know that it is here and has been for at least 3-5 years that I am aware of...

There were some serious cases of theileria that a farm lost several head of reg cattle to... until they got it figured out...

Is there a treatment for the Theileria now? It is widespread.

 

[ClinchValley86]

It looks photo shopped or AI generated. . Notice how every tick is the same size? I asked just to see the answer bu still don't really know.




AI Overview



That specific Facebook image is likely fake or misleading. While it is physically possible for a dead animal to attract large amounts of ticks, many viral images on Facebook showing a cow completely coated in ticks are either digitally altered or staged.

It didnt happen here, so im unsure. But there are more pictures supposedly of the same animal. I havent seen them though.

If the animal got loaded up with ticks at the same time they'd all grow at the same rate.

If it is indeed authentic, it is terrifying.

 

[ClinchValley86]

The sauce.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HGoGyKVCq/

 

[ClinchValley86]

From the same FB account. Newer post. Speedway, TN and Lafollette, TN.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Those are seed ticks, baby ticks. Or else they are adult Asian Longhorn before they have fed. Unfed females are the size of a sesame seed and swell to the size of a pea. Disgusting.

 

[Brute 23]

I think they are really neglecting those cattle for them to get that bad.

 

[kenny thomas]

Dumb thought but I wonder if the pasture could be sprayed to kill the ticks like some do for grasshopper and army worms

 

[Brute 23]

Dumb thought but I wonder if the pasture could be sprayed to kill the ticks like some do for grasshopper and army worms

Thats why people burn. It really sets the ticks back.

If you spray more pest and herb you get short term relief but cause bigger, long term problems. When people stop burning and destroy the bird habit with herb you end up with more ticks that require more pesticides. The marketed solution is actually the problem.

We have a place that has dragon flies like crazy right now on all the "weeds", especially all those polinator flowers and things. Im talking the sky is full of them. Guess what we don't have a problem with on the cattle... flies. Imagine free fly control if you don't fight nature and destroy the dragon fly habitat.

 

[ClinchValley86]

Thats why people burn. It really sets the ticks back.

If you spray more pest and herb you get short term relief but cause bigger, long term problems. When people stop burning and destroy the bird habit with herb you end up with more ticks that require more pesticides. The marketed solution is actually the problem.

We have a place that has dragon flies like crazy right now on all the "weeds", especially all those polinator flowers and things. Im talking the sky is full of them. Guess what we don't have a problem with on the cattle... flies. Imagine free fly control if you don't fight nature and destroy the dragon fly habitat.

The farm i burnt this spring is the place im getting the most. Weird as that is. I truly thought it would lower their numbers. If it did decrease their population, I imagine I would be posting tick covered cattle pics similar to that FB account.

Disgusting is the correct descriptor.

 

[Brute 23]

The farm i burnt this spring is the place im getting the most. Weird as that is. I truly thought it would lower their numbers. If it did decrease their population, I imagine I would be posting tick covered cattle pics similar to that FB account.

Disgusting is the correct descriptor.

You must have some kind of other structure in there that is helping them. Cedar stands or things like that can be breeding grounds for them.

Do you have fly bags or sprayers or any thing like that out? When is the last time you injected wormer?

 

[kenny thomas]

I have noticed that they are worse around cedars. At the time of year when we could burn which is winter how does that effect the ticks?
Or are you saying burning for quail habitat is what helps? We have no quail. Would love it if we did.

 

[Brute 23]

I have noticed that they are worse around cedars. At the time of year when we could burn which is winter how does that effect the ticks?
Or are you saying burning for quail habitat is what helps? We have no quail. Would love it if we did.

Its not just burning for quail. Just a good burn regiment in general can help. It kills what hits the fire but also takes aways the thatch and other areas, if there are any, that hold them and helps them reproduce.

The cedar littler can provide cover for them also and can help them survive through the winter or other events that usually set them back every year.

Ill post in another thread with great podcast to listen to where they talk about cedars, fescue, and and all those things many of us deal with. They incorporate management for wildlife, water sheds, and livestock.

 

[cfpinz]

Theileria has been in the east for several years... Nothing new for us to be dealing with that also... Had a cow test positive for it, could not carry a pregnancy after several years of being a successful brood cow.. Shipped her after confirmed pregnancy, then open , then confirmed preg again and then losing calf again... had a blood sample run thinking we had a major lepto problem ..... nothing that simple...

The thoughts are that it was running along the I-81 corridor... possibly from infected ticks coming off cattle through interstate transport...???? Has spread away from that corridor... Just know that it is here and has been for at least 3-5 years that I am aware of...

There were some serious cases of theileria that a farm lost several head of reg cattle to... until they got it figured out...

I can't help but see the correlation between the ban on OTC minerals with CTC in them and the rise in Theileria in our area, especially when you consider the treatment for such is a large dose of tetracycline. I had never heard of Theileria in cattle in this area until about 3 years ago, not long after the ban on CTC in minerals.

My personal observation, absolutely nothing scientific about it.