External Parasites

Who wants healthy livestock?

ckinder@uidaho.edu — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0400

In order to have healthy animals, producers must understand the normal health attributes of livestock, routinely monitor their animals and make management changes when necessary.

Decreasing temperature, increasing lice

dboxler1@unl.edu — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Five species of lice parasitize cattle in the U.S. Four of these are blood feeders, and the fifth is a biting or chewing louse. Cattle with hair loss, an unthrifty appearance, and leaving hair on fences and other objects from rubbing may be a sign of lice infestation.

A new invasive tick

Thu, 29 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0400

In 2017, a New Jersey farmer discovered a significant number of ticks that were only on his sheep. Neither the sheep nor its owner had traveled from the farm or had come in contact with other livestock. Experts are scrambling to learn more about this latest invasive species.

West: Parasite control in the winter months

msmall@uidaho.edu — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0500

With the frigidity of winter comes the realities of needing to continue to manage external parasites of cattle. Regardless of an operation’s size or type, when it’s winter, we’re dealing with lice here in the West.

South Central: Don’t forget about lice this winter

jason.banta@ag.tamu.edu — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Controlling lice populations is important from both a performance and animal welfare standpoint. Proper lice management will help cattle get through the winter in better shape.

Perceptions on Cattle Parasite Resistance

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 00:00:00 -0400

A national survey¹ of beef cattle producers and beef cattle-focused veterinarians was conducted to understand awareness, experience, and level of concern about parasite resistance among producers and veterinarians. The survey also looked at parasite resistance identification, treatment plans, potential barriers and opportunities to develop parasite control strategies.

Help nix the culex mosquito that transmits 3 of 5 core equine diseases, and more

arobinson@neogen.com — Thu, 25 May 2023 00:00:00 -0400

For your horses and livestock, hang fans to keep mosquitoes out of your barns. You also can deploy proven mosquito prevention products to do all that you can to control them and the risks they can pose to your family and animals.

Ticks, pathogens and livestock in Idaho

bstokes@uidaho.edu — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 18:04:50 -0400

If there's just something "off" about an animal, have you checked for ticks?

Be aware of the presence of Asian longhorned ticks in your state

cassidy@agproud.com — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 13:17:47 -0500

There’s a new tick in town, and it’s made its way to 17 different states – ranging from the South all the way up through the East Coast.

Controlling lice in beef cattle

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 14:00:01 -0400

Lice are a common winter problem in cattle, especially in northern climates with cold weather and short winter days.

Does pest management pay?

justin.benavidez@ag.tamu.edu — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 14:00:01 -0400

Pests suck. Some pests literally so. They are an eyesore, they cause unpleasant conditions for you and your herd, and they can cost you money.

Cattle lice: Be aware, they are coming

larry.hawkins@bayer.com — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 14:00:01 -0400

As the weather begins to cool and the hair coats on cattle get longer, the lice that have been dormant on carrier animals through the summer begin to reproduce.

Eyeing a stronger treatment for foothill abortion

Thu, 25 Jul 2019 14:00:01 -0400

The mysterious foothill abortion disease in cattle was first seen in the foothill regions of coastal and central California – and recognized in the 1940s as different from brucellosis. It also occurs in southern Oregon and Nevada.

What else is bugging cattle this summer?

bravomelissa@yahoo.com — Thu, 25 Jul 2019 14:00:01 -0400

The mosquito bites from yet another post-tornadic storm fence check are a clear reminder it’s time to fill the cattle backrubs.

Texas cattle producers wage new round in fight on fever ticks

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 14:00:01 -0400

Cattlemen, Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) are waging a constant battle to keep the fever tick contained in counties along the border to Mexico.

Unseen predators: Managing internal parasites

Fri, 22 Mar 2019 14:00:01 -0400

The adage “out of sight, out of mind” may avoid a few of life’s problems, but internal parasites are not one of them. It’s common knowledge there are countless microscopic predators lurking in the cattle environment.

Watch out for anaplasmosis this season

tarpoff@ksu.edu — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 20:33:08 -0400

Besides being a 12-letter word – and a hard one to spell at that – anaplasmosis is a disease the beef industry shouldn’t take lightly.

New vaccine may control cattle ticks

Sun, 24 Jan 2016 15:00:01 -0500

The economic impact of cattle fever ticks, including the southern cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, was so severe in the late 1800s that the USDA started an eradication program in the early 1900s to eliminate the deadly disease bovine babesiosis, which is transmitted by this parasitic pest.