Insecticide Resistance: How to Help Cattle Fight Flies

While livestock fly control may already be in your cattle management plan—have you considered the possibility of insecticide product resistance?

According to a recent article by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Educators David Boxler and T.L. Meyer, regardless of the choice of livestock fly control product and application method, it’s important to plan for resistance.

As defined by the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee, fly resistance to insecticides is considered a heritable change in the sensitivity of pest populations reflected in repeated failure of a product to achieve the expected level of control when used according to label recommendations for the pest species.

In other words, repeated use of the same products and mode of action may lead to fly resistance.

Manage Fly Resistance

Boxler and Meyer suggest producers manage resistance by alternating insecticide Mode of Action (MoA) groups, including dusts, insecticide ear tags, animal sprays, pour-ons, insect growth regulators (IGRs and also known as feed-throughs) and compressed air application devices.

Insecticide MoA groups are based on how the insecticide works against insects, says the article.

Specifically, here’s some tips to help fight resistance in your fly control management plan:

1.Continuous use of products from a single MoA group can lead to reduced control and resistance to all products in that MoA

2.Improve fly control and minimize resistance by changing MoA insecticide application

3.Rotate between MoA groups every fly season and if possible, during the fly season

With a number of products on the market, here’s a look at some products from each MoA group currently labeled for use against pasture flies divided by the primary action site and the active ingredient.


Source: bovinevetonline.com
Photo Credit: gettyimages-imaginegolf