News From the Bullpen

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Highlands County Extension Service
4509 George Blvd.
Sebring, FL. 33872
(863) 386-6540
Fax (863) 386-6544
E-mail gamikulecky@mail.ifas.ufl.edu
February - 2002


Calendar Of Events
January
17 19th Annual Florida Cattlemen's Institute and Allied Trade Show - Kissimmee
18 Florida Association of Livestock Markets Annual Meeting
18-20 Breeding Management Short Course - Gainesville
29 Pesticide Applicator Certification "Core" course - registration at 8:00 a.m., class 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and test given at 2:00 p.m., CEU's will be offered
February
04 Pesticide Applicator Certification "Training" - registration at 8:00 a.m., class 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and test given at 2:00 p.m., CEU's will be offered
08-17 Highlands County Fair, Sebring
12-14 FCA Legislative Quarterly Meeting Tallahassee, FL
19 E-Mail & Internet for Ranchers, Arcadia
21 E-Mail & Internet for Ranchers, Sebring
March
14 Herd Health Program, Wauchula


E-mail and Internet Access for Cattlemen
Do you have any questions on using E-mail? At 5:00 p.m. on February 21, 2002, we will have a workshop on "Using E-mail in Agricultural Production". The session will be held in Conference Room 2 of the AgriCivic Center in Sebring. The use of Outlook and Eudora Light will be the focus. We will be covering such items as file attachments, address books, digital cameras along with many other aspects of use of e-mail. This will be targeting new and inexperienced users of e-mail and computers in general. Individuals with intermediate experience with these programs, may or may not find this training useful. Same session will be offered in Arcadia at 5:00 p.m. on February 19, in the Family Service Center, room 5.

Establishing Nematodes for Mole Cricket Control

The University of Florida holds a patent for the sale of mole cricket nematodes (Steinernema scapterisci (Ss)) for the control of Tawny mole crickets. MicroBio, a subsidiary of Berker Underwood of Ames, Iowa, has been granted exclusive rights to mass produce and market the nematode. Nematodes should be available under the name "Nematac S" in spring of 2002. The shelf life of Ss nematode is only two months, so orders placed through selected local vendors will be shipped directly from Berker Underwood to customers for field application, probably by trained custom applicators.

The Mole Cricket Task Force, consisting of personnel of the University of Florida-Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Florida Department of Primary Industries, MicroBio and stakeholders from the cattle, turf, and golf industries, have initiated 25 field research/demonstration projects to test the efficacy and rate of spread of the nematode on pasture when applied in strips. The standard application rate of nematodes is one billion/A, but stripping allows for significant reduction in quantity applied/A. At the Mole Cricket Control Demonstration in November on the Kea-Bo Ranch I had the opportunity to see "Nematac S" applied at a 1/8 rate. To do this a modified five-foot wide no-till planted was used. The planter was driven on "rows" spaced at 40 foot intervals - achieving a 1/8 application rate.

The recommended application for golf courses ($200/A, one billion nematodes) can be substantially reduced to $20-30/A using strip application on pasture. Field application cost would run similar to a bush-hog operation of $5 to10/A. For proper control, nematodes should be injected into the top inch of the soil, during the fall or spring adult mole cricket seasons, after a rainfall, at sundown, in areas where adult mole crickets are abundant.

We are seeking additional demonstration sites for Highlands County that will be treated this spring show handling, mixing, and application techniques. Please contact me to participate in a 25-acre study.

Copies of the fact sheet Biological Control of Pasture Mole Crickets with Nematodes and further information is obtainable at the Highlands County Extension Office and on University of Florida's Electronic Digital Information Service (EDIS) webpage found at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/.

TINY LIVESTOCK or It's a lousy world
The cattle tail louse is the most important damaging louse in Florida. The cattle tail louse is a blood-sucking louse, and extensive infestations may cause anemia in cattle. Infested cattle show poor condition, slower weight gain, low vitality, and reduced milk production. Heavy infestations of sucking lice can cause abortion and anemia in animals.

Adult populations of more than five (5) lice will cause economic damage to cattle. Tail louse control can be readily achieved by timed treatments or self-treatment with proper insecticides.

Although tail lice may be present year-round, certain times of the year are preferable for treatment. From early spring to fall are good treatment times. Proper control procedures in the fall will prevent the winter buildup of eggs and subsequent damage when the nymphs emerge. Early spring applications will control the damaging emergence of nymphs from the overwinter build-up of eggs as well as aiding in horn fly control. Midwinter spray treatments are not economically feasible since the population is generally in the egg stage and will not be killed by an insecticide application.

Late spring and summer continued use of dust bags will give excellent control of tail lice as well as horn flies. This optimum timing of proper pesticides can result in the control of more than one pest for the cost of controlling one species. The cost of using a dust bag ranges from .01 to .003 $/day/animal.

Source: Management of External Parasites with Forced-Use Dust Bags by P. G. Koehler and J. F. Butler

Web Sites of Interest

Listed here are several web sites that may prove of interest to you. E-mail: I usually check my e-mail twice a day and I can be reached by E-mail at gamikulecky@mail.ifas.ufl.edu.

Beef Management Calendar
January February March

For further information about material in this newsletter phone: 863-402-6540 or E-mail: Gary Mikulecky
County Extension Director & Livestock Agent III

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