Don't Let Horn Flies Eat Your Profits

The most convenient way to control horn flies in cattle is to feed a Vigortone mineral containing Altosid. Altosid is an insect growth regulator (IGR) that passes through the animal and into the manure where horn flies lay their eggs. It breaks the life cycle by preventing horn fly pupae from developing into biting adult flies.

Vigortone products containing Altosid IGR eliminate the expense, labor, and stress associated with sprays, pour-ons, dusts, and ear tags. There's no need to round up or handle cattle because the animals spread the horn fly control as they graze. Altosid IGR even controls horn flies resistant to the organophosphates and pyrethroids commonly used in conventional horn fly control products.

Left untreated, a few horn flies can quickly explode to populations of 1,000 to 4,000 flies or more per animal.

    Research shows that stocker cattle can incur a 14% weight loss over a 120-day fly period. That loss amounts to 26.01 lb/head (reduction in ADG of 0.19 lb/day). At $70/cwt, the loss equals $18.20/head.

    Research shows that weaning weights of calves on cows experiencing fly control are 13.88 lb/hd heavier due to increased milk.

Horn flies emerge in the spring when average daily temperatures reach 65 degrees F for a period of two weeks. For effective control with Altosid IGR begin feeding Altosid IGR before flies appear.

For more information, please call us at 1-800-553-1712 or email us at contactus@vigortone.com.