Moderation of grazing behavior of beef cattle by stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans L.)

Dougherty, C. T.; Knapp, F. W.; Burrus, P. B.; Willis, D.C.; Cornelius, P. L.

doi:10.1016/0168-1591(94)90076-0

Cited by 27 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Relative to some other studies (e.g. Dougherty et al ., 1993a, 1993b, 1994), the present study also attempted to differentiate feeding stable flies from non‐feeding stable flies or other species such as the house fly.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…Some authors counted stable flies on the entire body (e.g. Bruce & Decker, 1958; Todd, 1964; Okumura, 1977; Warnes & Finlayson, 1987), whereas others have counted flies on the front legs, or compared front leg counts with the whole‐body counts (Harris et al ., 1987; Mullens & Meyer, 1987; Dougherty et al ., 1993a, b, 1994; Lysyk, 1995; Campbell et al ., 2001; Eicher et al ., 2001). When making comparisons with whole‐body monitoring, for the purposes of this study it is assumed that 45% of the flies were found on the front legs (Lysyk, 1995).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Existing studies that mainly focused on individual cattle and stable fly–cattle behavioural interactions have used small numbers (≤ 10) of individuals in a laboratory setting (Warnes & Finlayson, 1987), and small numbers of animals in an open field setting (Schofield & Torr, 2002). Dougherty et al . (1993a, 1993b, 1994, 1995) primarily employed field cages in which numbers of stable flies could be manipulated and controlled; they were concerned mainly with mean responses and did not focus on the responses of individual animals in their studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Behavioural responses of dairy cattle to the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans, in an open field environment

Mullens¹,

Lii

Mao

et al. 2006

Medical Vet Entomology

105

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Individual cows (25 in each of four herds) were monitored 8-10 times weekly for 12 weeks (stable fly season) on a southern California dairy, with 100 observations per cow. The numbers of biting stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae) on the front legs and the frequencies of four fly-repelling behaviours per 2-min observation period [head throws, front leg stamps, skin twitches (panniculus reflex) and tail flicks] were recorded. Fly numbers varied, peaking at 3.0-3.5 flies per leg in week 9 (late May). Weekly herd mean frequencies of fly-repelling behaviours were highly dependent on fly numbers, with a linear regression r(2) > 0.8. Head throws and stamps were less frequent than skin twitches and tail flicks. Individual cows differed in numbers of stable flies and behaviours. Behaviours were correlated with flies for individual cows, but at a lower level than were herd means (r = 0.3-0.7). Cows that stamped more within a herd tended to have lower fly counts; other fly-repelling behaviours were less effective. Cows maintained ranks within a herd with regard to fly numbers (r = 0.47), head throws (0.48), leg stamps (0.64), skin twitches (0.69) and tail flicks (0.64). Older cows tended to harbour higher fly numbers and to stamp less relative to younger adult cows. Ratios of leg stamps and head throws to fly numbers dropped significantly through time, suggesting habituation to pain associated with fly biting. Tail flicks were not effective for repelling Stomoxys, but were easiest to quantify and may help in monitoring pest intensity. At this low-moderate fly pressure, no consistent impacts on milk yield were detected, but methods incorporating cow behaviour are recommended for future studies of economic impact.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Behavioural responses of dairy cattle to the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans, in an open field environment

Mullens¹,

Lii

Mao

et al. 2006

Medical Vet Entomology

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Grazing occupies a large amount of time in both dairy cows (about 8 hours/day) and beef cattle (about 9 hours/day) [45]. The total duration of grazing per 24 h ranges from 4 to 12 h depending on the quality and variety of the vegetation, the climate, and the competition to access grazing zones [46][47][48][49][50]. In the present study, Podolian cows always showed grazing times higher than 50%, that on 24 h basis would be higher than 12 h. However, our results are not necessarily in contrast with those previously reported, as we conducted the observations during day time, when grazing activity is predominantly performed.…”

Section: Experiments 2 321 Time Budget and Social Behaviour No Sigmentioning

confidence: 99%

Activity Budgets and Forage Selection of Podolian Cattle, a Semiwild Bovine Breed

et al. 2011

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This study aimed to describe the behaviour of Podolian breed, a semiwild cattle breed kept in a natural environment (as either a small group of young bulls or cows within a family herd), and the interaction of these animals with the environment in terms of ingestion from natural pastures. Diurnal grazing behavioural pattern was monitored through continuous focal animal recording method. The activity budget of free-ranging animals was characterized by high locomotor and feeding activities. They exhibited a high degree of adaptability to the local phytocoenosis with high levels of ferns' and tree foliage intakes performed by cows and the selection of a diet more nutritious than pasture performed by young bulls. These results along with the low levels of agonistic interactions recorded in the two experiments suggest that extensive systems based on grazing allow social stability and provide a natural environment for the expression of cattle species-specific behaviour.

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“…We made the assumption that insect‐repelling behaviour was a response to insect harassment (Keiper & Berger, 1982; Mooring et al ., 2003), and that the rate of insect repelling tracked the abundance of biting insect attacks. Many previous studies have found that the frequency of insect defence behaviours is positively correlated with insect numbers and severity of attack (Harvey & Launchbaugh, 1982; Harris et al ., 1987; Raymond & Rousseau, 1987; Brindley et al ., 1989; Dougherty et al ., 1993a, b, c, 1994, 1995; Ralley et al ., 1993; Eicher et al ., 2001; Mooring et al ., 2003). Thus, we interpret insect‐repelling rate as a surrogate measure of per capita insect harassment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insect-repelling behaviour in bovids: role of mass, tail length, and group size

Mooring

Blumstein

Reisig

et al. 2007

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

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Biting insects are costly to hosts, and insect-repelling movements of the tail, ears, head, and feet are widespread in mammals and effective in reducing bites. We investigate whether the 'peripheral stimulation model' can explain the regulation of this widespread behaviour pattern in a comparative study of bovids. The peripheral stimulation hypothesis predicts: (1) a positive association between insect-repelling rates and body size because larger hosts produce more of the sensory cues that attract biting insects; (2) that individuals in larger groups will exhibit a higher rate of insect defense behaviour if group size and insect attraction follows a linear function; and (3) larger species will evolve proportionately longer tails in response to higher rates of insect attack. To test these predictions, we observed insect-repelling behaviour in 26 species of bovids at a zoological park, and controlled for common ancestry with formal phylogenetic analyses (independent contrasts). Consistent with the peripheral stimulation hypothesis, rates of tail-switching and all insect-repelling behaviours combined were positively associated with body mass, whereas earflicking was positively associated with proportional tail length. Larger bovids had proportionately longer tails for more effective fly swatting. There was no significant association between insect-repelling rate and group size, suggesting that a nonlinear relationship exists between group size and insect attacks whereby individuals in larger groups do not experience an increased attack rate.

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Moderation of grazing behavior of beef cattle by stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans L.)

Cited by 27 publications

References 14 publications

Behavioural responses of dairy cattle to the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans, in an open field environment

Behavioural responses of dairy cattle to the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans, in an open field environment

Activity Budgets and Forage Selection of Podolian Cattle, a Semiwild Bovine Breed

Insect-repelling behaviour in bovids: role of mass, tail length, and group size

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