Driving its adapted mouthparts into the skin of its host the infected brown ear tick delivers a deadly injection as it starts to feed on bovine blood. Catching a ride in the tick’s saliva, sporozoites (spores) of the protozoan parasite, Theileria parva, the agent of East Coast fever, make their…
The control and management of ticks, and tick-borne diseases, is complex and difficult, but not impossible. Success depends on commitment, co-operation, funds, some knowledge and a healthy dose of common sense. East Coast fever (ECF) and its vector, the brown ear tick, present the most serious disease challenge cattle farmers…
At the end of January The Zimbabwe Herald carried a report on an outbreak of tick-borne “January disease” (East Coast fever) in the north-eastern sector of the country. The report stated that 2 000 cattle had died of the disease. The actual number of deaths was probably higher. The Herald…
Question: Can you help with some basic advice for tick control, please? It is essential in livestock farming to control ticks and in this way prevent production losses and the spreading of diseases they transmit. Here are some pointers. Effective tick control depends on having a basic understanding of the…
Question: How long does a dip work against ticks? This is an issue that causes a lot of confusion among livestock farmers. To understand tick control, it’s essential to have the basic knowledge about the ticks’ feeding period on the animal. There are 2 groups of ticks: The first type…
Ticks and tick-borne diseases are an enormous threat to cattle and to the men and women who farm them. This threat is greater in warmer and wetter areas. As far back as 20 years ago, over a million cattle died every year (in the sub-region) from just a single tick-borne…
Mites are ectoparasites that feed on the skin of the host animal and cause severe itching. This leads to scratching, rubbing and biting which, in turn, damages the skin, the wool and the hide. Stripped of hair and wool, bare patches of inflamed skin are crusted with weeping wounds and…
An understanding of the enemy and how he functions makes him far less dangerous. Learn about ticks to protect your livestock. THE BROWN EAR TICK (Rhiphicephalus appendiculatus) The third Rhipicephalus tick is widespread and occurs in the DRC, Tanzania, the Highlands of Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Eastern Botswana. It vectors…
African and Asian blue ticks – African and Asiatic redwater and tick-borne gall sickness African farmers are constantly aware that ticks and tick-borne diseases can cause major problems in their herds. Ticks have a profound and negative impact on profitable animal production, causing enormous losses, both economical and physical. Ticks…
Ticks can seriously damage a cow’s udder and teats. Damaged teats are a primary reason for poor calf growth and underweight weaners (8 months). For every teat that’s damaged or destroyed the calf could be 25kg to 40kg lighter at weaning because the mother has less milk. If the beef…
The farm Kleinhoek, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, lies in an area with heartwater. So when Loodt Bücher acquired buffalo in 2014, he had to think of a plan to ward off external parasites. He started by experimenting with products available on the market. When he found that game…
High tick loads cause severe production losses in livestock and reduce disease resistance. Ticks are also carriers of a number of potentially fatal, and flat-out fatal, tick-borne diseases. Millions of cattle die in the sub-region every year, because they have not been dipped – it’s a tragic, fundamental truth. But…
