Strategy against the fly Haematobia irritans and the tick Rhipicephalus microplus with the use of Effipro Bovis in a bovine herd

Abstract

The control of parasite populations affecting cattle herds is an urgent need in tropical areas, where the presence of ectoparasites is a serious threat to animal health. The tick Rhipicephalus microplus as well as the fly Haematobia irritans cause considerable economic damages, so the control of ectoparasites in animals has been very important, demanding the use of chemical agents for an effective and safe control either for animals or for the environment. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Fipronil (Effipro Bovis) in the control of R. microplus and H. irritans in cattle under field conditions, applying field rotation as a strategy. The study was carried out in a herd of 14 animals: Holstein and mestizo Holstein F1 naturally infested. Animals were divided into the control and treated group; all of them evaluated before and after treatment. Three consecutive trials were conducted, applying the treatment with Effipro Bovis, each time infestation levels were reached above 10 ticks per animal. As a result of the first trial, there was a reduction in infestation intensity to 0.9 ticks per animal (97.6 %) and, for H. irritans, 0.8 flies per animal (99.1 %). A high control percentage was observed in the populations of ticks R. microplus in the first 24 hours, and flies H. irritans in the days following the treatment. The product Effipro Bovis kept controlled R. microplus populations for 35 days and H. irritans for 84 days, with an intermediate treatment of the product 42 days after the application.