Warble fly

Irish Beef · 19-07-2016 06:19AM

inthepit wrote: »

Today I saw the bull with his tail straight up and running faster than I had seen before.Then I noticed two more flys over the heifers.That was the first time that I have seen warble fly.

Looked out into the field at front of the house yesterday and saw the bull running with its tail up, was just thinking it could be the warble fly and yesterday I saw one on his back and a whole load of small flies around him, then he flew off. I remember years a go my mother popping loads of larvae out of the cows backs, but I haven't seen them for years, but they're Definitely back. just now sure what to threat him with.

LostCovey · 19-07-2016 09:38AM

I believe that warble fly is completely eradicated from Ireland and has been for well over 20 years, and that what is being described in these posts is cattle responding to things that sound like the cattle warble fly.

Things ike the deer warble fly, horse flies etc.

The last places in Ireland that the warble flie hung on in were Achill, Belmullet, the Burren and north Longford, and I think the last phases of the eradication programme focussed on those areas till it was gone.

Evidence that it has been eradicated
1. Warbles are never seen in winter (these are the swellings under the skin, with the larva inside a cyst) by vets or farmers
2. Hide damage would be evident in meat plants and tanneries. The warble fly eradication campaign was driven as much by the leather industry as for farming
3. These gadding reports are sporadic and describe fairly mild changes in behaviour. When warble flies were present in the country, cattle 'gadding' from the fly would charge through fences - older vets talk about the amount of work it made for them, stitching legs and teats on summer evenings. Doesn't happen any more.
4. Nobody has produced a warble fly or a larva, or photos of warbles in Ireland since the early 1990s

I stand to be corrected - never say never, but the discovery of warbles in Ireland would be BIG news, and treatments have moved on a long way from organophosphates, so if ye have evidence, lets be seeing it!!!!

LC

Irish Beef · 19-07-2016 10:51AM

LostCovey wrote: »

I believe that warble fly is completely eradicated from Ireland and has been for well over 20 years, and that what is being described in these posts is cattle responding to things that sound like the cattle warble fly.

Things ike the deer warble fly, horse flies etc.

The last places in Ireland that the warble flie hung on in were Achill, Belmullet, the Burren and north Longford, and I think the last phases of the eradication programme focussed on those areas till it was gone.

Evidence that it has been eradicated
1. Warbles are never seen in winter (these are the swellings under the skin, with the larva inside a cyst) by vets or farmers
2. Hide damage would be evident in meat plants and tanneries. The warble fly eradication campaign was driven as much by the leather industry as for farming
3. These gadding reports are sporadic and describe fairly mild changes in behaviour. When warble flies were present in the country, cattle 'gadding' from the fly would charge through fences - older vets talk about the amount of work it made for them, stitching legs and teats on summer evenings. Doesn't happen any more.
4. Nobody has produced a warble fly or a larva, or photos of warbles in Ireland since the early 1990s

I stand to be corrected - never say never, but the discovery of warbles in Ireland would be BIG news, and treatments have moved on a long way from organophosphates, so if ye have evidence, lets be seeing it!!!!

LC

Well like I said in previous post I saw a very large fly as big as a bumble bee on the bulls back, but it wasn't a bee, it was more like a really big fly but black and , Also I haven't seen cattle running like that with their tail straight up in a long time, How can it be such a coincidence that many people are seeing the same thing, also like a previous poster I'm also situated in south Kilkenny. How long does it take for the eggs to hatch, Ill bring that bull into crush and examine the area where I saw the Fly.

ganmo · 19-07-2016 11:24AM

LostCovey wrote: »

Things ike the deer warble fly, horse flies etc.

horse flies are stealthy little buggers, no sound and ya can barely feel them landing

bogman_bass · 19-07-2016 06:38PM

LostCovey wrote: »

I believe that warble fly is completely eradicated from Ireland and has been for well over 20 years, and that what is being described in these posts is cattle responding to things that sound like the cattle warble fly.

Things ike the deer warble fly, horse flies etc.

The last places in Ireland that the warble flie hung on in were Achill, Belmullet, the Burren and north Longford, and I think the last phases of the eradication programme focussed on those areas till it was gone.

Evidence that it has been eradicated
1. Warbles are never seen in winter (these are the swellings under the skin, with the larva inside a cyst) by vets or farmers
2. Hide damage would be evident in meat plants and tanneries. The warble fly eradication campaign was driven as much by the leather industry as for farming
3. These gadding reports are sporadic and describe fairly mild changes in behaviour. When warble flies were present in the country, cattle 'gadding' from the fly would charge through fences - older vets talk about the amount of work it made for them, stitching legs and teats on summer evenings. Doesn't happen any more.
4. Nobody has produced a warble fly or a larva, or photos of warbles in Ireland since the early 1990s

I stand to be corrected - never say never, but the discovery of warbles in Ireland would be BIG news, and treatments have moved on a long way from organophosphates, so if ye have evidence, lets be seeing it!!!!

LC

LC? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

Capercaillie · 19-07-2016 07:04PM

bogman_bass wrote: »

LC? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

Common things are common, rare things are rare!

greysides · 19-07-2016 08:27PM

bogman_bass wrote: »

LC? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

Not so lost any longer.

patsy_mccabe · 19-07-2016 10:04PM

bogman_bass wrote: »

LC? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

....and the dead arose and appeared to many!!!!

inthepit · 19-07-2016 10:06PM

After a bit of a search I think this is probably what I saw.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww8Qu_TlfCg
http://www.independent.ie/regionals/argus/news/insect-mystery-solved-26936198.html
None the wiser,but better informed

LostCovey · 19-07-2016 10:16PM

bogman_bass wrote: »

LC? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

zom·bie (zŏm′bē)
n.
1.
a. In voodoo belief and popular folklore, a corpse that has been reanimated, especially by means of a supernatural power or spell.

L1985 · 22-07-2016 12:07AM

Our vet told me they are still around anyway and that the tail up in the air is a deff sign. So saying we havnt had to burst any blisters or anything off animals backs so I'm not sure. LC what are you using to stop it? Our usual dose immectin? isn't strong enough in July /August.

Kovu · 22-07-2016 09:01AM

Noticed a cow with a very raised lump on her neck this morning, almost like a tb reaction. Have to get her in for AI tomorrow morning so will check it out then.

Czhornet · 22-07-2016 09:24AM

My father, says that the Warble lays the eggs in the feet around the ankles and then the larvae crawl up under the skin to the back. Then the lumps appear when the larvae is about to appear, and when there are open sores on the back, the larvae/fly is gone. Seen one here last year, like a huge bumble bee with a 2 inch pointy straw sticking out of its mouth. Fecking yolks!

LostCovey · 22-07-2016 09:31AM

Czhornet wrote: »

My father, says that the Warble lays the eggs in the feet around the ankles and then the larvae crawl up under the skin to the back. Then the lumps appear when the larvae is about to appear, and when there are open sores on the back, the larvae/fly is gone. Seen one here last year, like a huge bumble bee with a 2 inch pointy straw sticking out of its mouth. Fecking yolks!

What you have described doesn't remotely sound like it was a warble fly, which is a fairly ordinary looking, large brown & black fly. That sounds a lot more like a scary looking but utterly harmless wood wasp as linked by InThePit above.

Here's a photo of a warble fly

https://www.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://www3.telus.net/conrad/imagesinsects/22f.gif&imgrefurl=http://www3.telus.net/conrad/insects/botfly.html&h=236&w=206&tbnid=H4miMCmHBC6REM:&tbnh=160&tbnw=139&docid=vbk71LevlZSlVM&itg=1&usg=__AKlUb2FwvxgFoLTbrWasf505aqM=

Your dad is spot on about how the fly lays its eggs and the migration up to the animal's back, but the cysts or warbles are large and obvious on the animal's back. I saw them when they were common here and an animal would have up to a dozen of them, as big as half a hen's egg, so I don't believe that this disease and this nuisance of a fly has survived without someone somewhere producing a warble fly in a jar or a hide or photos of same.

Its gone thanks be to God. I hope.

LC

LostCovey · 22-07-2016 09:35AM

L1985 wrote: »

Our vet told me they are still around anyway and that the tail up in the air is a deff sign. So saying we havnt had to burst any blisters or anything off animals backs so I'm not sure. LC what are you using to stop it? Our usual dose immectin? isn't strong enough in July /August.

What am I using to stop something I am saying was eradicating 40 years ago? Nothing.

Either I am missing something here.....or you have mis-typed something.........

greysides · 22-07-2016 09:52AM

Without checking, because I've never, ever, seen them, the lumps come up in late winter/early spring. Not this time of year however. Treatments that kill warbles need to be timed as killing the migrating larvae when they are around the spine can cause problems. I've never heard of any of these problems and people are using doses at all times of the winter.

As far as I'm concerned, they're gone in cattle.

Base price · 22-07-2016 02:23PM

My Uncle and a neighbour squeezed a warble grub from the back of a cow when I was a child. I sat on the top bar of the crush fascinated and disgusted at the same time by the procedure. Still remember it to this day

cj maxx · 22-07-2016 04:59PM

bogman_bass wrote: »

LC? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

Thought i spotted that earlier, but thought no more about it . Thought LC was in oz or nz or somewhere

L1985 · 22-07-2016 09:35PM

Well somethings bothering the cattle-some sort of insect and I'm wondering if ppl have something stronger they are using when the cattles tails are up and they are running? i don't know if it's warble or not (when I started this thread I didn't know it was even a q!)but I do know somethings driving out cattle cracked and the usual dose isn't working. So what are ppl using to combat it?ivermectins not working

Irish Beef · 25-07-2016 02:51PM

L1985 wrote: »

Well somethings bothering the cattle-some sort of insect and I'm wondering if ppl have something stronger they are using when the cattles tails are up and they are running? i don't know if it's warble or not (when I started this thread I didn't know it was even a q!)but I do know somethings driving out cattle cracked and the usual dose isn't working. So what are ppl using to combat it?ivermectins not working

Saw a big fly going around again this morning landing on cattle, when he lands he stays there for a few mins and appears to be doing something, Took a picture of him on my phone but its not near clear enough, the cattle don't appear to be too frightened but still don't like him landing on them and when he flies around he makes no noise. Im going to keep a close eye on cattle over the next few days to try catch one.

patsy_mccabe · 25-07-2016 05:40PM

Talking to a neighbour in his 80's at the w'end . He's seen his cattle running around mad with tails straight up, he reckons it's the warble fly. I remember having to put cattle in for a department guy to put pouron on the cattle when I was young, or am I imagining it.

Capercaillie · 25-07-2016 05:46PM

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Talking to a neighbour in his 80's at the w'end . He's seen his cattle running around mad with tails straight up, he reckons it's the warble fly. I remember having to put cattle in for a department guy to put pouron on the cattle when I was young, or am I imagining it.

do you dose cattle with ivermectin regularly? or similar generic product

patsy_mccabe · 25-07-2016 06:09PM

Here you go;
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1981/si/338/made/en/print

inthepit · 25-07-2016 10:31PM

I was talking to a neighbour who was a"warble man"and he said that there was a lot at the job because it only lasted the couple of months.

Water John · 26-07-2016 02:38PM

I think they did them for 3 years. I think it was the AI technicians who did it.
Cattle gadding/running from the warble, make for a stream. This is so their legs are in the water and the warble cannot lay its eggs near the hoofs.

Doubt if there are warbles around. Cattle go beserk and make for any river.

Markcheese · 26-07-2016 09:34PM

Cant remember where I read it (last year), but I think there are still deer warble fly around... and they'll have a go at cattle, but they're larvae rarely survive in cattle...
Am totally open to correction on this...

Base price · 27-07-2016 01:45AM

inthepit wrote: »

I was talking to a neighbour who was a"warble man"and he said that there was a lot at the job because it only lasted the couple of months.

Water John wrote: »

I think they did them for 3 years. I think it was the AI technicians who did it.
Cattle gadding/running from the warble, make for a stream. This is so their legs are in the water and the warble cannot lay its eggs near the hoofs.

Doubt if there are warbles around. Cattle go beserk and make for any river.

My BIL was an AO during that time (late 80's) and was tasked with administering warble fly treatment to herds in our area plus two surrounding counties. Due to his workload at that time I (& EX) used to help him out and do a few local herds on his behalf on the qt

That rotten cabbage smell of the pour-on (orthophosphate's) will always stay with me.

patsy_mccabe · 06-08-2016 01:56PM

Found the sucker cows and calves running around this morning with tails up. Standing in the middle of them and saw a dark brown fly, about an inch long landing on a cows back. Cow took no notice for about 3 secs and then took off running. Fly took off again and landed on another, again no notice for about 3 secs and then off running.

So they are not running from the sound, but from the biting. Panic then sets in with the rest of them. Would love to know what fly it was. Must bring the camera phone more often.

Reckon it was a Dark Giant Horsefly from a quick google research.

Zoo4m8 · 08-08-2016 08:04AM

You learn something every day...have some land rented to a cattle man and a couple of times recently have seen them gadding and he is adamant the warble is back. Then two days ago I found what I always thought was a Warble fly in the cab of the buggy, hadn't seen one in years but thanks to this thread I now know it was a Giant Dark Horsefly, I have a photo but have never been able to post a pic..:o
I always understood it was the buzzing that started the cattle off but it seems from some of the posts that it's something else that is sparking a Warble fly type reaction and as somebody else has said back up the page there hasn't been much hard evidence of Warble activity in recent years.
I well remember the constant complaints from the leather industry about the holes in the hides for instance.

Markcheese · 08-08-2016 01:53PM

The warble fly doesnt bite at all , and its the start of the summer when they hatch and lay ,? Yeah ?,do they even buzz ?? ...
Has a buzzing horsefly (that bites like crazy) always been mixed up with a warble fly that lays microscopic eggs, that hatch into horrible skin boring maggots... ( ie . Cattle going mad from horsefly bites,when you check the skin you found painful warbles ,put the two together...)

Warble fly

Comments