As fall comes on, it is time to readdress the lice populations that survived the summer and begin to infest cattle in October. By treating early, ranchers can avoid the deep infestations of January and February common in many areas.
Source: Beef, August 31, 2017.
Some animals, due to poor immune function or some other factors, are more vulnerable to extensive lice populations and transmit lice to the other cattle in the herd. The carrier animals always have heavy loads, and general recommendation is to cull those, says Doug Colwell. Cattle with lice readily pass them to herdmates through direct contact, since cattle are social animals.
INSIGHTS: As veterinarians make fall VFD visits and salespersons meet with producers, now is the time to set the stage for lice and parasite control programs for fall and early winter.