Buffalo Fly (Haematobia irritans exigua) is a nasty little pest prominent in northern Australia. They are grey in colour and range from 3.5-4mm in length (smaller than common stable or house flies). Adult Buffalo Flies feed on the blood of cattle while they sit resting on the beasts’ skin. They require cattle blood to breed, hence tend not to worry other animals such as dogs or horses, as much. A lesion forms on the skin of the cattle where the flies feed, which is a welfare concern for many producers and livestock markets. Sometimes these lesions are also infected with Stephanofilaria roundworms. Lesion prevalence and severity increases in older cattle.
Where is Buffalo Fly Found?
The approximate distribution of Buffalo Fly is in the map below. Like many flies, they thrive in places with warm (27-30˚C), wet weather (500+mm annual rainfall). These weather conditions occur for a large portion of northern Australia from November to April, forming what is called the ‘Buffalo Fly Season’.
Life Cycle of Buffalo Fly
The life cycle of Buffalo Fly is relatively short, taking 12-14 days to complete under ideal conditions. Adult flies feed on the blood of cattle and the females lay their eggs in dung pats. Eggs hatch in the pats within a day, then go through the larva and puparium phases before emerging again as young adult flies, who begin the cycle again.
Buffalo Fly Control Strategies
The aim of Buffalo Fly control is to reduce the overall numbers to a level that doesn’t cause any production loss. There are a couple of steps, or elements, to their control as detailed below.
1. Non-chemical Control
Non-chemical control of Buffalo Flies is the most important step and typically involves setting up Tunnel Traps and/or increasing dung beetle activity. On properties with good dung beetle activity, the beetles process and bury the dung pats before the eggs/larva/puparium get a chance to emerge as adult flies, thus breaking the life cycle. Considerations can also be taken to reduce the susceptibility of your herd by culling cattle that are allergic or hypersensitive to Buffalo Flies, these are cattle affected by them even when numbers are low.
2. Chemical Control
After employing the non-chemical control methods, the next step may be chemical control. There are various pour-on, back rub and ear tag product options for controlling Buffalo Fly. Some considerations should be made when choosing your chemical control method, including the active ingredient in it (and whether it is effective in your area), if it has any secondary effects on dung beetles, and timing your treatments with your immediate neighbours (if possible).
Chemical resistance shows itself as a reduced period of protection than what the product claims on the label. As such, it is important to have good records of treatments and monitor for when your treatment seems to have ‘run out’. Buffalo Flies are proving quite ‘good’ at developing resistance to chemicals, so it’s important to monitor the efficacy of the particular active ingredients (and chemical groups) on your property and in your area.
Chemvet Products
Chemvet currently has two products with registered claims for Buffalo Fly – Vetmec Pour-On and Vetmec Tickmaster Plus Pour-On. If ‘mectin products are effective against them on your property, then these are great broad spectrum treatments that will cover you for ticks, lice and worms as well!
References
Distribution & Biology for Cattle | Flyboss
Buffalo Fly Control in Cattle | QLD DPI
The 5 Biggest Mistakes Farmers Make When Tackling Buffalo Fly in Cattle | FarmCo