10/21/2009 02:09PM
Horn flies are bloodsucking insects that can be seen on the backs and
sides of beef and dairy cattle during most of the summer. These flies
spend virtually all of their time on animals. They use a tubular
mouthpart to pierce the skin and get a blood meal.
09/28/2009 01:36PM
Insecticide-impregnated cattle ear tags release small amounts of an
insecticide which are distributed over the animal during grooming or
rubbing. In general, ear tags have provided excellent, long term
control of horn flies and a reduction in face fly numbers.
07/23/2009 01:32PM
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - Flies cost the cattle industry more than $500 million each year, causing slowed weight gain, reduced milk production and diseases such as pinkeye and anaplasmosis. Effective fly control may require combined use of products, said a University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist
06/11/2009 10:20AM
LEXINGTON, Ky.--Horn flies are blood feeders that primarily attack pastured cattle. Bulls are more attractive to horn flies than are steers or cows. Individual flies pierce the skin with their short, tube-like mouthparts 20 to 30 times per day to ingest a small amount of blood. Their feeding activity
04/07/2009 03:00PM
The horn fly is about one-half the size of an ordinary housefly and possesses a piercing beak. The fly remains on the animal day and night and leaves only to pass to another host or lay eggs. Horn flies feed 20 times a day or more and are marked blood suckers.
The life cycle of the horn fly is relatively
03/17/2009 01:14PM
Differences in behavior between these two fly species is probably part of the story. Horn flies spend most of their time on the animal. They suck small amounts of blood frequently and leave only to lay their eggs on fresh cattle droppings. This constant presence on the animal means they are certain to
03/09/2009 09:22AM
The third year of drought means summer may arrive sooner and fly season may be longer and more severe than usual. Cattle pests, such as flies, cost cattlemen by increasing treatment costs, lost production, irritation to the cattle, and because of the diseases they can transmit. Fly infestations cost
03/09/2009 09:19AM
Piercing-sucking mouthparts in the adults. A structure (the labella), modified for rasping, occurs at the tip of the proboscis or labium. This part of the mouthpart is thrust into the host and blood is sucked up through other mouthparts (labrum-epipharynx and hypo-pharynx) that lie in a groove along