Annual/Termination Reports:

[02/08/2024] [03/11/2025]

Report Information

Participants

Brief Summary of Minutes

Accomplishments

Publications

Impact Statements

Back to top

Report Information

Participants

Brief Summary of Minutes

Accomplishments

<p>Biting flies of cattle (horn flies, stable flies) cause considerable economic loss to animal producers ($1B loss to US cattle producers due to stable flies alone!). Control of these flies with insecticides is increasingly challenging due to insecticide resistance, environmental impacts of insecticides, increases in organic animal production, and changing management practices. A new commercial fly repellent formulation with botanical oils was tested on cattle in California and showed good control of each fly species for 6-24 hours (stable flies) or 24-48 hours (horn flies). These botanical oil repellent products appear suitable for use in commercial dairy production to reduce biting by these important pest flies.</p><br /> <p>Currently, there are challenges with screwworm control via sterile insect technique, with flies found in S. Mexico. The response to that challenge will require increasing the capacity to raise and irradiate flies to control for release in previously eradicated zones. Simulations have been done to demonstrate that eBeam is a potentially viable alternative source of ionizing radiation, providing potential flexibility for the USDA when making decisions about how to adjust to the new challenge in screwworm control.</p><br /> <p>Innovative research projects are underway by S1076 members to improve livestock welfare and are investigating a variety of pest management tactics. UC-Riverside is developing sensor technologies to monitor cattle fly-repelling (defensive) behaviors and correlating behaviors with fly populations to diagnose the need for targeted treatments. Penn State surveyed horse owners for concerns about tick infestations and are evaluating wearable tick protection barriers, such as boots and masks, to reduce tick pressure on horses. Kansas State is assessing fly impacts on horses to refine equine pest control. USDA-ARS researchers in Florida are finding that house flies feeding on low quality diets have increased mortality when infected by the Beauveria bassiana fungus. They are also improving production of the parasitoid Tachinaephagus zealandicus and may be evaluated for screwworm control. University of Nebraska - Lincoln researchers are evaluating black soldier fly larvae for biological control of stable flies, and, in response to producer interest in alternative control products, are investigating garlic-based sprays as a natural alternative for fly control on pasture cattle.</p><br /> <p>In over two dozen presentations throughout the state, UGA Extension alerted cattle producers to impacts of flies and ticks on cattle herds, with recommendations for pest suppression. One publication in the Georgia Cattleman magazine covered the benefit of dung beetles and another gave reasons both humans and animals should be protected against tick bites. We organized our first &ldquo;Alpha-Gal Symposium&rdquo; at the University of Georgia, hosting speakers and participants from around the world (with over 114 attendees). UGA&rsquo;s Extension Veterinary&nbsp;Entomologist chaired a session in which it was pointed out that until prophylactic measures and therapeutics are available for preventing and treating red-meat allergy, the only effective preventative is avoidance of tick bites.</p><br /> <p><br />In collaboration with UGA&rsquo;s Department of Animal and Dairy Science and the College of Veterinary Medicine, veterinary entomologists from UGA Department of Entomology are attempting to identify fly-resistance traits in cattle and develop these traits for commercial herds. The entomology team in this collaboration (including two Extension agents and two Entomology graduate students, along with the Extension Entomologist PI) is characterizing fly susceptibility of herd animals, classifying them according to the number of flies each animal supports. Based on these counts, each animal is ranked for its suitability as a fly host, ranging from those that are highly tolerant (good blood sources) to those that support very few flies (fly resistant or repellent). Animal scientists then attempt to characterize these animals physiologically to identify genetic characteristics that determine their attractiveness to horn flies.</p><br /> <p>University of Georgia researchers have found distinct differences in animals&rsquo; ability to support horn fly populations, indicating that it may well be possible to select lineages that are resistant to bloodsucking horn flies. Success in this endeavor could yield savings to cattlemen and result in reduced beef prices. &nbsp;</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Publications

Impact Statements

1. Wildlife serve as important reservoirs maintaining tick populations threatening livestock production. Researchers in Tennessee identified key wildlife species serving as hosts for the invasive Asian longhorned tick, improving their survival and furthering their dispersal. Livestock serve as hosts for a number of tick species, research at Pennsylvania State University highlighted that the order in which animals are exposed to different species impacts the response to tick feeding. With alarming rates of acaricide resistance reported in field ticks collected from Texas, laboratory studies showed that the genetic basis of resistance in ticks is more intricate than previously thought. Texas A&M University and the USDA have published on the sex chromosome and putative sex determination genes in the cattle tick, which could enhance control of ticks in the future. Together, this better understanding of tick resistance, feeding biology and the role of wildlife in maintaining tick populations will shape targeted surveillance approaches. These will in turn inform producers which products and intervention methods are best suited to their individual region.
2. Over the past few years, studies of Culicoides species in southeastern California desert have revealed species distribution patterns suggesting species which are associated with native habitat and those associated with anthropogenic change. Response of these species to various trapping systems (using CO2 and/or UV light) provides support for additional studies of these species. These studies have supported our understanding of the potential role of these species in the transmission of pathogens such as bluetongue (BT), epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). This is particularly important given the recent incursion of VSV into California in 2023-2024 and the effects of this virus on both domestic animals and captive wildlife in several zoo facilities.
3. Insecticides remain one of the most important tools for pest control in livestock production, yet resistance to the limited number of registered chemical classes for this usage pattern compromises pest control plans. Thus, it is imperative that any control plan include insecticide resistance monitoring. Members of the S1076 group have worked on a number of projects to facilitate better understanding of resistance mechanisms in livestock-relevant arthropods, and utilize novel tools to conduct surveillance on insecticide resistance.
4. A collaboration between University of Florida and USDA-ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology (CMAVE) produced a new molecular tool for the detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms that are often used as a molecular marker for target site resistance mechanisms in arthropods.
5. Current pest management practices rely on producers evaluating their animals in terms of the number of each pest species present, as well as any occurrence of disease events. Surveillance for ectoparasites has been primarily accomplished by on-host visual inspection, as well as sampling pests off hosts with specifically designed collection methods. Traditionally, when these numbers exceed a threshold, it is recommended that producers treat their animals with pesticide. Unfortunately, these methods are not feasible for many cattle operations, leading to producers making uninformed decisions, the unnecessary use of chemicals, non-target effects, and additional economic losses (costs and expenditures).
6. To help producers make data-driven decisions, researchers in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee are developing producer-friendly methods that incorporate computer vision and binomial sequential sampling. Preliminary results indicate that automated systems can detect flies and ticks on animals as well as animal behaviors in response to parasites. To validate the reliability of detection networks, S1076 participants across the country provided additional images and videos for the project. We will use these images to improve and evaluate the models. Concurrently, the newly developed binomial sequential sampling method incorporates current cattle genetics, production practices, and nutritional improvements. Preliminary results for this decision-making strategy allow producers to incorporate pest surveillance with different thresholds, taking into consideration that cattle with different backgrounds have different pest tolerance levels.
7. After both methods are developed, we will integrate the detection and decision-making systems into a user-friendly platform that helps producers make data-driven decisions regarding pest management on their animals. Bridging these projects together, we will use real-time data from S1076 participants and stakeholders to enhance pest management strategies against common livestock pests and ultimately improve animal welfare and productivity. Use of the integrated system will not only reduce the use of insecticides on livestock but also document changes in producers' knowledge and behavior as they begin to learn that treatments should be tailored to their cattle, environment, and pest populations. Use and adoption of the developed platform will provide opportunities for additional outreach and education, as links to factsheets and referred sources will be included. We suspect that the to-be developed system will be transformative for the livestock industry.
8. Horn flies, obligatory bloodsucking flies found only on cattle, cost U.S. cattle producers over a billion dollars annually. They are the number one pest on cattle herds in the Americas. Not only does this affect cattlemen and their production costs, but these losses are passed along to consumers as higher beef prices.
9. Our multistate research team has continued to maintain and expand our extension-focused website (www.veterinary entomology.org). This website has received increased visitation each year, with high traffic particularly to some of our pest management guidelines documents and to our pesticide database website. This website has increased the reach of our multistate project and provided an opportunity for project participants to reach extension clientele.
10. The VetPestX pesticide database is under revision to develop a new website listing EPA-registered pesticides that will be more accurate, accessible, and user friendly compared to our current VetPestX website. The new website will utilize AI algorithms to search EPA documents to identify approved products and product uses. We anticipate that this new version of the website will be live in late 2025. The current website is already regularly used by animal producers, veterinarians, and extension personnel, and we anticipate the new version will see increased use.
11. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension programming has generated strong interest among livestock producers in alternative fly control products, including garlic, fatty acids, and essential oils. Research projects have been initiated to validate the effectiveness of these alternative solutions. Through multiple delivery platforms, such as webinars, podcasts, and articles, UNL Extension has successfully reached livestock producers across the U.S. Notably, the Bruce Walk-through Fly Trap has gained traction as an effective, non-chemical control method.

Back to top