Summer Fly Control Options

Are you having a problem with fly control in your cattle herd? Some years in my area, the fly problem is not bad because we’re normally very dry in the summertime, but this year, because of abundant spring rains, the flies are present in large numbers.

The experts tell us it doesn’t take a large number of flies on cattle to be a detriment to production – as few as 100 to 200 flies per side. In fact, they say flies can have such an impact on weight gain they can offset any weight gain achieved through the use of growth implants. If you see more than a hand-sized bunch of flies, mostly behind the shoulders, there are enough flies to be a problem to your cattle.

In my years in the cattle business, I’ve tried a lot of different methods of fly control, pour-ons, sprays, fly tags, rubs/dusters and finally a feed through additive. The pour on and sprays didn’t typically last very long, so I was constantly having to spray the cattle to keep the flies off.

Ear tags worked well, but the main problem I had with those was the necessity of removing the tags in the fall to keep from building resistance to the chemical in the tags. And, it is recommended to change the active ingredient from year-to-year. In a small operation like mine, the removal of the tags meant having to gather the cattle and put them through the chute an extra time. The problem with the rubs/dusters was having to move them every time the cattle were moved to another pasture and finding a suitable place where the cattle would walk under the rub.

The past three summers, I have used a mineral formulation tub containing Altosid® IGR. The IGR is a feed through fly control which is an insect growth regulator and does not have any effect on adult flies. The first year I used the mineral tub/fly control, the use of the product began a little late, so I had to spray a couple of times to get rid of adult flies. Since that time, I have begun feeding the tubs in mid-March, prior to the time flies generally appear in our area. As long as my cattle are some distance from my neighbors’ cattle, I have very good fly control and seldom have to spray. But, that is one of the disadvantages of the feed through control, unless your neighbors are using a feed through, or keep very good control of their flies, the migration of adult flies from their herds may make it necessary to use a spray to control flies in your herd because the feed thru has no effect on the adult flies.

But, so far, the feed thru fly control has worked very well for me and my cow herd. One of my neighbors tells me I shouldn’t work so hard controlling flies on my cattle. “That’s why God gave them long tails, so they can swat the flies,” he says. I just like to see my “contented” cows, leisurely grazing along, not having to swat or sling their heads trying to shoo away those pesky flies – and I think they do much better, weight gain wise, when the flies are not bothering them.

What kind of fly control program do you use?