Lice, Mites & Insect Pests


Things to do at housing

Steps you should be taking now to protect your herd

Beef

  • Check if youngstock needs worming for gut worms at housing using faecal egg counts (FECs). If infection risk is high, use a product that contains a macrocyclic lactone (ML) to kill off inhibited Ostertagia worms to reduce the risk of Type ll ostertagiosis later in the winter. Adult cattle should not require any treatment for gut worms.
  • There is no natural immunity to liver fluke, so all ages of stock must be assessed for treatment where there is a history, or risk of infection. Check fluke forecasts and abattoir returns to monitor presence of fluke
  • Blood test a group of first season grazing calves (as sentinels) two weeks after housing to check whether they have been in contact with liver fluke in the summer

Dairy

  • Check if youngstock needs worming for gut worms at housing using faecal egg counts (FECs). If infection risk is high, use a product that contains macrocyclic lactone (ML) to kill off inhibited Ostertagia worms to reduce the risk of Type ll ostertagiosis later in the winter. Adult cattle should not require any treatment for gut worms
  • Take a bulk milk sample to test if the milking herd has been exposed to liver fluke.
  • There is no natural immunity to liver fluke, so all ages of stock must be assessed for treatment where there is a history, or risk of infection. Check fluke forecasts and use abattoir returns to monitor presence of fluke

Resources

Vet, academic or researcher?

Take a look in Resources for more detailed information on all topics.

Cattle can be infected with a range of ectoparasites and nuisance pests, which can negatively affect cattle welfare and cause production losses.

Lice and mites permanently reside on cattle, numbers tending to increase during the housing period due to frequent close contact between cattle and thicker coats offering protection. Infestations cause itching and hair loss, with self-inflicted trauma encouraging secondary bacterial infection.

Ticks are only present on cattle for a short time during blood-feeding. Their bites can cause significant health problems due to hypersensitivities and transmission of protozoan and bacterial diseases.

Exposure to biting and nuisance flies disrupts normal cattle grazing behaviours and reduces feed intake through restless behaviour.

Ixodes scapularis blacklegged tick
Ixodes scapularis blacklegged tick