Efficacy of flumethrin 1% pour-on against ticks on cattle under field conditions in Ethiopia.

The efficacy of a flumethrin 1% pour-on (Bayticol, Bayer AH) was evaluated against natural infestations of ticks on cattle on a dairy farm in Ethiopia during 1997/98. The cattle, (n = 92), which were Friesian/ Zebu crosses, were heavily infested with Boophilus decoloratus. Dry cows (n = 8) were randomly selected and allocated either into a treatment or a control group. Flumethrin 1 % pour-on was applied to the treatment group according to the manufacturer's recommendation, i.e. along the dorsal mid-line from the head to the base of the tail. Ticks were counted and identified in situ on treated and control animals. When the total tick counts of the treated group were similar to those on the control, the trial was discontinued. Excellent results were achieved with flumethrin against heavy tick infestations. There was a rapid kill after 24 h post-treatment, and from day 4 onwards 100% control was achieved and maintained for a further 29 days. The results obtained indicate that there was a significant difference between the mean tick counts of the control group compared with those of the treatment group (P < 0,05). The evidence presented here suggests that the flumethrin 1 % pour-on may be applied at 45 day intervals and should provide effective protection against the economically important ticks if it is used at the recommended dosage rate and applied correctly.