Cattle tick is one of the most economically significant parasites in the Australian beef industry.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
If left untreated, cattle tick populations on cattle and pasture can build rapidly, making early season treatment critical for effective cattle tick management.
Elanco technical consultant, Craig Stevenson, says strategic tick control programs should start once tick infestations reach the commonly accepted economic threshold of 30 ticks per side.
“Given each female tick can lay up to 3000 eggs and the entire life cycle can be completed in as short as six weeks, even small populations can rapidly become a major problem without effective control measures,” he says.
“In northern NSW, and southern and central Queensland, the first treatment should be applied in spring before the start of the ‘spring rise’.
“In northern Queensland, NT and northern western Australia, the first treatment is typically applied in late summer/early autumn.”
Acatak Duostar is a convenient pour-on formulation that is ideal for use as the first treatment in strategic tick control programs.
“Acatak Duostar protects your entire herd, including bulls, cows, weaners and calves suckling treated cows, against fluazuron-susceptible cattle ticks for up to 12 weeks, as well as controlling ivermectin-sensitive parasites,” Craig says.
“Applied early in the season, it helps to prevent the build-up of tick populations on your cattle and pastures.”
Craig says it is important to rotate between different chemical groups within the season.
“No single product or chemical group should be relied upon to provide season-long protection against cattle ticks,” he says.
“It is best practice to rotate between different chemical groups that are known to be effective, according to the recommended re-treatment interval of each product and with due consideration of buffalo fly control programs.
“Acatak Duostar has a minimum re-treatment interval of 42 days and can be applied three times per season, making it an ideal foundation for rotation programs to protect the efficacy of all chemistry.”
Cattle tick ( Rhipicephalus microplus ) is a major problem affecting cattle in northern Australia.
Infestations can cause significant economic losses arising from tick worry, tick fever, anaemia, weakness, reduced appetite, weight loss, reduced fertility and death.
Research has shown just one tick can reduce weight gain by 1g/head/day or milk production by 8.9mL/head/day.
Assuming an ‘average’ burden of 50 ticks per head, which equates to 1.5kg of lost liveweight gain or 13.4L of lost milk production every 30 days.
The effective control of cattle ticks and/or prevention of tick fever requires an integrated approach, including breeding tick-resistant cattle, vaccination, pasture management and chemical treatment.
“Regardless of the percentage of Bos indicus content, the strategic use of effective chemicals can deliver significant economic benefits via improved liveweight gain in growing cattle and milk production in lactating beef cows,” Craig says.
“The strategic application of long-acting chemical treatments can help to reduce the build-up of tick populations on pastures and cattle before the annual peak and in turn, the following season.”
Acatak Duostar contains two modes of action (15g/L fluazuron and 5g/L ivermectin) which work in combination to break the lifecycle of cattle ticks.
“Ivermectin provides rapid knockdown control and short-term residual activity against all stages of cattle tick present on cattle,” Craig says.
“Ivermectin is a member of the macrocyclic lactone family and causes paralysis and death of sensitive cattle ticks, in addition to roundworms, lungworm, sucking and biting lice, mites and buffalo flies.
“Fluazuron is a powerful insect growth regulator that provides long-term protection from ticks picked up from infested pastures.
“It breaks the lifecycle of cattle ticks by interrupting the moulting process of tick larvae and nymphs and inhibits egg-laying and hatching.”
Both active ingredients are absorbed dermally and orally via grooming.
Once absorbed, fluazuron levels within treated animals remain in equilibrium between blood and subcutaneous body fat.
The reservoir of fluazuron in subcutaneous body fat in treated cows transfers to suckling calves via milk, thereby providing passive protection for their calves – but reducing fluazuron levels and the protection period to 6–8 weeks in cows.
Similarly, fluazuron levels in rapidly growing cattle will be diluted via the development of more fat and muscle tissue when compared to cattle with low or medium weight gains.
Always read and follow label directions. Good agricultural practice is essential for optimal tick control.