March 2004
Commercial Agriculture

Stop Flies Dead In Their Tracks

Feeding a mineral mix with an insect growth regulator keeps flies from ever becoming a problem.

Beef producers in western South Carolina now have a convenient, effective way to control cattle horn flies. It’s as easy as keeping a mineral feeder full.

According to Roman Whitfield, manager of the Southern States Cooperative in Johnston, Fly Stop Beef & Dairy Mineral with Altosid has made deep inroads into the mineral market in his area in the past three years. “Once a producer tries the product, it sells itself,” he maintains.

Fly Stop Beef & Dairy Mineral with Altosid is a balanced combination of calcium and phosphorus, along with Altosid, a feed-grade insect growth regulator. The IGR passes through the digestive tract of the animal and into the manure where horn flies lay their eggs. The IGR prevents normal development of the insect.

Whitfield points out that he is located in the middle of the largest cow/calf area of the state. Horn flies start showing up in late May and are a major problem all summer.

“Our producers like the Fly Stop Beef & Dairy Mineral mix that contains 10% magnesium because they can feed it free choice to cattle grazing green pasture without having to worry about grass tetany problems,” he reports. “Some put it out as early as late March or April, before hornfly activity starts. So it is in the manure ready to break the life cycle as soon as flies begin laying their eggs.”

Whitfield maintains that getting the mineral out that early gives Fly Stop Beef & Dairy Mineral a big edge over competitive products.

Thomas Eddy of Ninety Six, S.C. has used Fly Stop Beef & Dairy Mineral with Altosid for the past two seasons on his herd of 55 brood cows. He’s sold on the product.

“Before I was using insecticidetreated ear tags,” he says. “They worked for a while, but then lost their effectiveness as horn flies developed immunity. I’ve had nothing but good results with Fly Stop Mineral.”

According to Mike Peacock, beef feed sales and marketing manager for Southern States, there have been no reports of horn flies developing resistance to the feedthrough product.

Whitfield emphasizes to his customers that Fly Stop Mineral is not a silver bullet, but another tool for their arsenal to control horn flies. In some cases, there may still be a large population buildup of flies some time during the summer.

“In those situations, producers also may have to use a knock-down insecticide spray, back rubbers or pour-on treatment,” he says. “But if they get the Fly Stop Beef & Dairy Mineral Mix with Altosid out early enough, they shouldn’t have a problem.”