Efficacy of the Ivomec SR bolus for control of horn flies (Diptera: Muscidae) on cattle in South Texas

The concentration of ivermectin in the serum of Hereford heifers treated with a single Ivomec SR bolus reached a maximum of 8.8 +/- 0.9 ppb at 2 wk post-treatment. The single bolus treatment resulted in <10% mortality of adult horn flies feeding on the blood of the treated animals over the 21-wk trial. Bioassays of the manure from treated cattle showed complete inhibition of development of immature horn flies through week 19 post-treatment. When the trial was repeated using two Ivomec SR boluses/heifer, the concentration of ivermectin in the serum of the treated cattle reached a maximum level of 31.2 +/- 3.9 ppb at week 13 post-treatment. During the first 17 wk of treatment, the use of two boluses/heifer resulted in 96.2 and 81.2% mortality of adult male and female horn flies feeding on the blood of treated animals, respectively. From these studies, we conclude that a single Ivomec SR bolus used as an anthelmintic treatment can be expected to provide significant control of immature horn flies developing in the manure, but not of adults feeding on the treated cattle.