Mosquitoes feed on virtually any animal.
Although there are many different species, and field biology may be
different dependant on species, the ones that are livestock pests have similar
life cycles. There are four stages: egg; larval or “wiggler”; pupal
or “tumbler” and adult. There are three
main groups: aedes, anopheles and culex. The anopheles lay eggs singly on the water
surface. These eggs have “floats” that
prevent them from sinking. The culex spp. lay eggs side-by-side
and form them into a “raft.” The aedes lay eggs
on moist substrates, where they await adequate moisture for hatching. This later group is termed; “flood water”
mosquitoes, and they are most apt to be pest to cattle and horses.
Cattle under heavy mosquito attack will bunch and spend time fighting
mosquitoes instead of grazing. Steelman (1979) reported weight gain reductions of 0.04
kg/day/steer with heavy mosquito infestations.
Cultural
Moving cattle away from mosquito infested areas or placing them in shelter in the evening when most mosquito species are the most active have been suggested. However, for cattle in the west, this isn’t very practical because Aedes vexans, one of the major mosquito pests of cattle is a daytime feeder. Other suggestions are to drain mosquito infested areas, if practical for the floodwater mosquitoes.
Biological
There are mosquito-feeding fish that are efficient but not very practical
for floodwater mosquitoes, and they do not survive winter in northern
climates. The bacterium, Bacillus thurengensis var. Israleiensis
is formulated for mosquito control by several companies.
Chemical
Most of the suggested chemicals are biological for control of immature
mosquitoes, and there are numerous insecticides registered for adult mosquito
control. Recommended insecticides will
be in table format at the end of the chapter.
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Insecticides Suggested for Treatment of Flies on Cattle: |
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Insecticide |
ApplicationMethod |
Application Rate |
Restrictions and comments |
|
Coumaphos (Co-Ral) (Co-Ral Fly and Tick Spray) (Co-Ral) |
Spray or Sponge Spray Spray |
11.6 % ELI 1 pt/25 gal water 6.5 % EC 2 qt/50 gal water or 10 oz/4 gal water 25 % WP 4 oz/12.5 gal water |
Restricted-use Pesticide For horses not intended for slaughter. No more than 6 treatments per year, no less than 10 days apart. |
|
Fenvalerate (Ectrin) |
Spray |
10 % WDL 2 oz/12 gal water |
Apply 8 oz of diluted spray per horse. Do not apply to horses intended for slaughter. |
|
Methoxychlor |
Spray or wipe-on |
0.05 % Ready to use |
Follow label instructions. |
|
Permethrin (Atroban)
(Buss Off) (Ectiban) (Gardstar) (Permectrin II) |
Spray
Wipe-on, Spray or Pour-on Spray Spray Spray |
11 % EC 1 pt/25 gal water or 3 tbsp/2.5 gal water 7.4 % Permethrin + 7.4 % PBO
5.7 % EC 1 qt/25 gal water or 22 tbsp/1 gal water 40 % EC 5-12.5 ml/2 gal water 10 % EC 2 oz/3 gal water |
Spray to thoroughly wet animal. Repeat every 10-14 days.
Repeat application every 14 days. Apply 30-60 ml per horse. Spray thoroughly to wet horse. Repeat in 14-21 days. |
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or wipe-on |
+ Piperonyl Butoxide Many formulations of ready to use. |
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Stirofos (Rabon) |
Feed Additive |
7.76 % ROL |
Follow label directions. Horn and face fly control only. |
The information herein is supplied with the understanding that no
discrimination is intended and that listing of commercial products, necessary
to this guide, implies no endorsement by the authors or the Extension
Services of
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Categories: Livestock insects, Cattle, Mosquitoes
Date: