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Experimental and commercially available ear tags were evaluated under field conditions for their efficacy against horn and face flies on pastured beef cattle in central Kentucky. The horn fly populations on all herds tagged were sampled and tested for permethrin resistance using the Kentucky horn fly resistance test procedure prior to tagging. A susceptible horn fly population obtained from USDA Livestock laboratory, Kerrville, TX was used as a comparison for all resistance tests. The tags were placed on all adult animals at the rate of one tag/ear. The commercial tags used were Maxcon™, Optimizer™, Terminator™, Saber ™, Tomahawk ™, and Ranger ™. The experimental tags included Mobay’s 15% fenthion + 10% coumaphos, 20% fenthion, 20% fenthion + 15% piperonyl butoxide, and 10% cyfluthrinate and Y-TEX corporation’s YT609A (20% diazinon) and YT305 (cypermethrin). All herds were tagged between 5-15 Jun with the exception of one herd tagged with a 20% fenthion ear tag on 30 Jun. Face flies were counted on the head and face of 10 randomly selected animals/farm while horn flies were estimated on one side of the same animals. Fly counts were compared to those on untreated herds further than 0.5 km, but less than 5 km from the treated herds.

Ectiban permethrin 0.9 g AI adhesive tape (1 tape/cow) and fenvalerate 5% AI ear tag (2 tags/cow) were evaluated for control of horn flies and face flies on mixed breed beef cattle herds in Story Co, IA. The 2 cow-calf herds were separately pastured. A third herd of 22 cows served as an untreated control. Ectiban permethrin tapes were applied on Jun 4 and again on Jul 31. Each wk between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm, flies were counted on 15 randomly selected cattle. Horn flies were counted on 1 side of the animal and face flies on the entire face.

Atroban permethrin 10% AI ear tags (2 tags/cow), Ectiban permethrin 0.9 g AI ear tag tapes (1 tape/cow), Ectrin fenvalerate 8% AI ear tags (2 tags/cow) and Permectrin permethrin 10% AI ear tags (2 tags/cow) were evaluated for horn fly and face fly control on 8, separately pastured, mixed-breed beef cattle herds. Treatment herd size ranged from 20 to 50 cows/herd. A separately pastured, untreated herd of 50 mixed-breed beef cows served as a control. Horn fly and face fly counts were made on 10 randomly selected cows in each herd at weekly posttreatment intervals. Horn flies were counted on 1 side and face flies on the entire face of each animal.

Eight beef cattle cow-calf herds were treated for fly control during the first 2 wk of Jun with Ectiban permethrin (0.9 g AI) ear tag tapes or Durmectostrips (8% AI cypermethrin plastic strips) attached to the shank portion of identification ear tags. Cows and calves were treated with different numbers of tapes or strips as described in the below table. Two similar herds of beef cattle were used as untreated checks. On Sep 9, 2 beef cattle cow-calf herds were tagged with either 10% bendiocarb or 10% Delnav dioxathion ear tags. Cows were tagged with Delnav tags at 2/hd and cows and calves were tagged with bendiocarb tags at 2/hd. A similar herd of beef cattle on a free choice use of a 2% malathion backrubber was used as a standard comparison. Face fly and horn fly counts were made on 10 cows in each treatment before treating and at regular post treatment intervals.

Twenty-five mixed beef breed cows, 5 heifers and eight 300-400 lb calves were treated for flies by attaching a “butterfly” shaped duct tape containing an ampule of 1 g technical Ectiban (permethrin) around the shank of the animal’s identification ear tag. One tape/head was attached to the ear tag of each animal on Jul 23. After attachment the ampule was broken to release the permethrin. Twelve calves under 300 lb within this herd were not treated. These cattle had been on a 1% CO2Ral dust bag treatment prior to the Ectiban tape treatment and had no horn flies when the ear tag tapes were applied. A similar herd of beef cattle within the area was used as an untreated check for evaluating the effectiveness of the tapes. Fly counts were made on the treatment date prior to treatment and at regular post-treatment intervals. Mean pre-treatment face fly counts were 25/cow and 36/calf on the treated cattle and 28 face flies/cow and 42 flies/calf on the untreated cattle. Horn fly numbers on the untreated cattle averaged 141/head during the test period.

Ectron and Atroban ear tags and Ectiban ear tag tapes (0.9 g permethrin/tape) were applied to cattle at Buhl, Idaho, for fly control evaluation. The herds and applications were as follows: Pasture: 1) Atroban tags applied to 25 holstein heifers at 1 tag/head, 2) Ectiban ear tag tapes applied to existing ear tag of 24 hereford heifers at 1 tape/head, 3) Ectrin ear tags applied at 1 tag/head to 18 holstein weaner calves, 4) an untreated group of 10 hereford heifers to act as checks, 5) 3 face fly counts were made on a herd of angus cows in a pasture adjacent to the calves with Ectrin tags. Penned: 1) Ectiban tapes were applied at 1 tape/head to existing tag on 12 angus bulls, 2) Atroban tags applied at 1 tag/head to a mixed herd of 10 steers and heifers, 3) an untagged group of 13 angus bulls was selected to serve as checks. All groups were located within a 2-mile radius. Tags or tapes were applied to the animals on 7 Jun and fly counts made at approximate 2-wk intervals until mid-Sep. Flies were counted with the aid of binoculars or spotting scope. Horn flies were recorded as the number per side and face flies were recorded as the number per head. Ten animals per group were counted on each date. The exception was the number of pasture check animals which was reduced to 5 and then only 2 animals late in the season.