Dairy and Beef Biting and Nuisance Flies IPM Meeting Series

A series of on-farm summer field meetings were held for dairy and beef producers to increase awareness of issues and IPM approaches to manage nuisance and biting flies on dairy cattle for animals on pasture. Background and Justification Dairy production is an integral component of many rural communities in the northeastern US, helping to sustain the economic viability of our region. In New York, 5,700 dairy farms were in production in 2010 contributing nearly $1.6 billion in dairy products to the state’s economy (NY NASS, 2010). In 1997, northeast U.S dairy and beef cattle associated revenues totaled $4.4 billion (USDA Census of Agriculture, 1997). Additionally, the value of these commodities in the eastern US, where the results of this project are most applicable, total $ 15.4 billion. Biting and nuisance flies, and external parasites adversely affect animal health, productivity and reduce farm profitability. A complex of pests is usually involved, which can differ in the intensity of direct and indirect host effects. Damage from infestations of summer and winter active arthropod pests of dairy and beef cattle in the U.S. have been estimated to exceed $2.26 billion in losses annually (Byford et al. 1992). In a 1997 survey of New York dairy farmers, twenty-eight percent of respondents indicated flies in and around barn areas were most difficult to control and 43% indicated animal confinement area flies were the most likely to cause economic loss (Harrington et al. 1998). Flies in and around the barn were treated with an insecticide an average of once a week. Most respondents (80-90%) employed cultural practices such as manure removal, while less that 5% of respondents released beneficial insects to manage barn flies. In this same survey, 52% of respondents selected flies on pastured cattle as being the most difficult pest to control and 56% indicated pasture flies were the most likely to cause economic loss (Harrington et al. 1998). Additionally, dairy farmers reported using insecticides two to three times per month to manage flies on pastured cattle. Several challenges currently face those seeking to effectively manage livestock pests today. Implementation of the 1996 federally mandated Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) resulted in the removal of a number of commonly used livestock insecticide materials, such as dimethoate, naled and chlorpyrifos. In the last decade, relatively few new insecticides have been registered