Flies on Cattle

Bethany Johnston, Nebraska Extension Livestock Educator Author

07/03/2025 Added

2 Plays

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The long hot days of summer are here. Which also means the insects of summer are in full force. Especially flies on cattle.

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[00:00:00.280]Welcome to the Extension Minute, brought to you by
[00:00:02.740]Bethany Johnston, livestock educator for Nebraska Extension,
[00:00:06.700]where we bring university research directly to you, on your farm or ranch.
[00:00:13.060]Where can you go to find beef and grazing research?
[00:00:15.900]Visit to the beef.unl.edu website.
[00:00:21.520]While you are there, read through the most recent BeefWatch articles
[00:00:24.692]- these are timely articles that come out beginning of each month.
[00:00:29.412]You can also tune into the Beef Podcasts, while you are there.
[00:00:33.820]The long hot days of summer are here.
[00:00:37.460]Which also means the insects of summer are in full force.
[00:00:41.680]Especially flies on cattle.
[00:00:45.080]But look closer, those files actually belong in 3 categories.
[00:00:50.460]Horn flies feed on the blood of the animal and can be seen on the backs
[00:00:54.460]of the cattle moving into the shade of their belly as the days get hot.
[00:00:59.212]These flies can cause loss and gains.
[00:01:03.260]The economic threshold for horn flies is 200 flies per animal which isn't a lot.
[00:01:08.880]Control is more effective if done sooner before the
[00:01:13.484]fly population explodes and the animal is covered in flies.
[00:01:19.160]Face flies are another type of livestock pests.
[00:01:22.280]These flies feed on the mucus of the eyes, nose or mouth of the animal.
[00:01:27.680]The sharp mouth parts of the face flies can
[00:01:30.340]damage the eyes allowing germs to enter.
[00:01:33.340]Pink eye can be a problem with face flies.
[00:01:36.360]The last fly is called the stable fly which bites
[00:01:39.977]the legs and ankles of an animal, causing cattle
[00:01:43.882]to bunch in corners, stand in water, or shake and stomp their feet.
[00:01:49.380]Only 5 stable flies per leg can cause problems.
[00:01:54.978]Because these 3 types of flies are different,
[00:01:57.160]knowing what kind of fly you're dealing with
[00:02:00.540]will help you decide what kind of treatment to choose.
[00:02:04.040]For example, fly tags in the ears might help with the face fly problem,
[00:02:09.640]but wouldn't be as effective with stable flies feeding on their ankles.
[00:02:14.000]There are several methods to control flies but chemical treatment is an option.
[00:02:19.920]However, flies can quickly become resistant to chemical treatments
[00:02:23.350]so its important to rotate the chemical families used for treatment.
[00:02:29.520]Visit the unl beef website at beef.unl.edu to learn more about
[00:02:37.640]control methods for horn flies, face flies or stable flies.
[00:02:42.880]Dave Boxler, Nebraska Extension Livestock Entomologist
[00:02:46.780]has several articles on the control of these 3 flies.
[00:02:51.440]Extension workshops are being held over the summer.
[00:02:55.680]Contact the Holt County Extension Office or visit
[00:02:58.560]our website to learn more about upcoming workshops.

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Flies on Cattle

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