Livestock Entomology

Horn Flies are smaller flies, they will be found on the back and sides of the animal. During the heat of day they will migrate to the belly. Both male and females feed on blood. Populations develop in late May or June and persist into the fall.

Stable flies are similar to house flies in size, they have a protruding piercing/sucking mouthpart.  Both males and females feed on blood.  Stable flies feed on the legs of livestock (and even humans) with their head upward. They cause a very painful bite.

Tabanids are a diverse group of flies including both horse and deer flies. Tabanids can be one inch and longer in size. Tabanids feed on the blood. Female Tabanids have a painful bite; the males do not feed on blood. Populations will peak from June to September.

Lice populations build in the winter months, lasting from November to March. They are usually not a problem in the summer as lice cannot survive warmer temperatures. 

All stages of ticks are exclusively parasitic.  Both hard and soft tick species attack livestock and can be damaging to cattle.

Litter Beetles cause damage to poultry housing and is suspected to be a health risk to humans in close contact with larvae and adults.

The Culicoides project is an ongoing project with the goal of finding and determining the population genetics of midges in the genus Culicoides.