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Understand cattle fly control before you regret it

Trying to control flies that are on your cattle can be a very frustrating endeavor, to say the least. It can often feel like an uphill climb with no rest in sight. No matter what you seem to do they just keep coming back year after year.

As we move into the warmer time of the year these pests will be coming out in full force. They will be coming out of their dormant stage to feast on your cattle negatively affecting your herd’s production. But what is a rancher to do?!

Though you will never fully get rid of them there is a way to get them under control. In order to be the most effective, it will require a multi-prong approach. It will require all of them because just using one will not get the results that you are looking for.

Types of flies to control

When it comes to beef cattle there are typically 3 types of flies that you will have to deal with. These types are Horn flies, Face flies, and Stable flies.

Horn flies

Courtesy of University of Florida Entomology

Face Flies

Courtesy of University of Nebraska-Lincoln Entomology

Stable Flies

Courtesy of University of Florida Entomology

Methods of fly control

As I mentioned earlier it is impossible that you will completely get rid of flies but with proper management, you can get them to a level that will not affect your production. There are 5 steps that you can take to lessen the impact flies will have on your cattle.

There are many different sources you can search for in order to find a way to control flies. Your local county extension office is one place to start. The Texas AgriLife Extension Service also has a publication titled “Managing External Parasites of Texas Cattle”.

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