L I B R.ARY OF THE UNIVERSITY or ILLINOIS cop. 2 i./.iuKAL HISTORY SURVEY STATE OF ILLINOIS Adiai E. Stevenson, Governor DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION C. Hobart Engle, Director AUTOMATIC SPRAYER for Control of Biting Flies on Cattle Willis N. Bruce .^■. WU I J II I. I ..IIP I Biological Notes No. 27 Printed by Authority of the State of Illinois NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY DIVISION Harlow B. Mills, Chief Urbana, Illinois February, 1952 AUTOMATIC SPRAYER for Control of Biting Flies on Cattle WILLIS N. BRUCE, Associate Entomologist, Natural History Survey Division Biting flies are important pests of cattle, hogs, and other animals in all the counties of Illinois. By their biting and blood -sucking, they torment the animals and reduce the profits of owners. Cattle attacked by biting flies do not graze quietly as they should, but switch7, stamp, toss their heads, wrinkle their hides, or wander restlessly about the pasture. The flies rob the animals of blood that should be going to make beef or butterfat. A pint or more of blood a day is not an unusual loss for an animal in some Illinois M pastures where horse flies are numerous. Tests in southern Illinois show that heavy feeding by these large biting flies costs cattlemen nearly a pound of beef per animal per day and dairymen 3 or more pounds of butterfat per animal per month. Some of the biting flies help to spread diseases among domestic animals. Horse flies are said by veterinarians to spread anthrax and anaplasmosis, diseases that in many cases are fatal to cattle. KINDS OF BITING FLIES IN ILLINOIS The biting flies that do the most damage to cattle in Illinois axe horn flies, stable flies, and horse flies. Automatic sprayer on farm in Fayette County, summer of 1951. A spray unit installed as part of a chute mounted on skids was placed between two pastures, one improved and the other unimproved. Water was available in both pastures. Salt was placed in the unimproved pasture. Control of flies was excellent. i> ■m; />• ^f?#' %*^ ■■» ^1 i*t-' "^^ !l 5i I I "t M. :&^<'M. .^rT' ^< W^-\ 'c^Z- 5HP - 3 - Horn flies ( Siphona Irritans) are about half the size of common house flies. From April to early October they cluster in great numbers on the backs, shoul- ders, necks, and underlines of cattle. Because they breed in the fresh droppings of cattle, they are constantly with the animals. They are common in all sections of Illinois. Stable flies ( Stomoxys calcitrans ) are about the size of common house flies. Usually much less numerous than horn flies, they are common in Illinois from May to early September or later. They attack chiefly the forelegs, necks, and under- lines of cattle. Because of their habit of breeding in spilled feeds, wet hay, and other loose decomposing materials, they usually are not common on cattle that stay away from farm buildings or feedlots. Horse flies (principally Tabanus sulcifrons, a reddish-brown fly almost an inch long, Tabanus atratus, a larger, black fly, and Tabanus lineola, a striped, brown fly smaller than sulcifrons) are the largest and most vicious of the biting flies in Illinois. They are most common in the southern third of the state, but are found at times in all parts. (In southern Illinois, Tabanus lineola is common from mid-May to late July; Tabanus sulcifrons , which probably does the most damage, is common from early June to early August; Tabanus atratus , much less numerous than the other two species, is found from early July to late August.) Because horse flies customarily lay their eggs on vegetation close to water, they are apt to be numerous in pastures near damp woods, marshes, or streams. The Illinois species attack chiefly the backs and shoulders of cattle. As is general in biting flies, only the females of the horse flies attack animals. The males live on nectar, honeydew, soft fruits, and similar substances. Automatic sprayer on farm in Johnson County, summer of 1951. Water and salt in pasture were enclosed by board fence, and cattle had to pass through sprayer to reach them. Control of horn flies and horse flies was excellent on this herd. The sprayer used here was similar to that shown on page 6. -4 - WHAT THE AUTOMATIC SPRAYER IS In the summer of 1950, the writer designed and constructed an automatic sprayer that could apply a concentrated solution of pyrethrins to cattle as they walked over a hinged platform, or treadle, on the way to and from water. Placed in one of the pastures at the University of Illinois Dixon Springs Experiment Station, the sprayer gave excellent control of horse flies. In a 38 -day test, cattle protected from horse flies by the machine gained 20 to 30 pounds per animal more than unprotected animals in comparable pastures. " The cost of material was about 1 cent per animal per day. The original machine was again used in 1951 with good results. In addition, new models, simpler and less bulky, had been built and installed in Dixon Springs pastures. Control of horse flies with the new machine in 1951 averaged 90 to 97 per cent. The models shown on pages 6 and 7 are slight modifications of machines used in pasture and feedlot in the summer of 1951. The one-nozzle sprayer gave excellent control of horse flies and horn flies on beef cattle in pasture at Dixon Springs. The two -nozzle sprayer gave equally good control of horn flies, horse fUes, and stable flies on a herd of dairy cattle belonging to the University of Illinois at Urbana. In areas where the biting flies present include significant populations of the species that feed principally on the legs and underlines of cattle, the two-nozzle sprayer is recommended. Although these sprayers have given excellent results under field condi- tions, they are still in the stage of experimental development, and farmers who build models are urged to use their ingenuity in improving and simplifying the construction. HOW THE AUTOMATIC SPRAYER WORKS The working unit of the automatic sprayer is placed in a chute or runway through which cattle must make at least three round trips a week. It may, for instance, be located in a fence between pasture and water or salt, or in a lane between pasture and milk barn. As an animal steps on the hinged floor, or treadle, of the one -nozzle sprayer, a fine mist comes out through the nozzle and covers the back and one side of tiie animal. The two -nozzle machine sprays the underlines, also. As the animal makes its return trip through the chute, its other side is sprayed. Even if an animal stops on the treadle and stands there, spray will not continue to run from the nozzle and be wasted. Although good control results from three round-trip applications per week, better control is obtained from round-trip applications once or twice a day. The quantity of spray applied per round trip should be Increased as the frequency of the trips is reduced. This can be done by increasing the length of stroke of the spray pump or adding another pump. HOW TO BUILD AN AUTOMATIC SPRAYER Dimensions for parts of the working units of the one-nozzle and two-nozzle sprayers are given on pages 6 and 7. In the following paragraphs are hints to aid owners of beef cattle or dairy cows in constructing and adjusting these sprayers. Make bottom frame of five lengths of angle iron either welded or bolted together. Center crosspiece adds stability. Weld upright to middle of one side of bottom frame. Biiild treadle of two layers of 1-inch lumber treated with creosote or other wood preservative. Nail the two layers together so that boards cross each other. Staple coarse hardware cloth or nail cleats to top side of treadle to keep animals from slipping. Bolt treadle loosely to frame on side opposite upright. Adjust bolts so that unattached side of treadle can be lifted about 3 inches above frame. Hinges may be used instead of bolts. Use any plunger -t37pe spray pump that will deliver a fine mist of about one-thirtieth ounce of material per stroke. (Used on 1951 experimental sprayers was the Z & W Model 2000 Hydraulic Hand Sprayer, because it was adequate, inexpensive, and the only one of its kind available from local dealers. Manufac- turer: Z & W Machine Products, Inc., 5151 St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.) Use any threaded spout that fits pump. Spouts from standard quart or pint cans fit Z & W spray pump. Leave enough tin around spout to make soldering easy. For small herd, quart can may be substituted for gallon can. If necessary, add inch or more of tygon (oil -resistant plastic) tubing to lower end of spray pump. In bolting gallon cans to upright, adjust position of cans to fit size of cattle. In one-nozzle sprayer shown on page 6, and used on beef cattle, nozzle is 55 inches above depressed treadle and tilted at angle of 30 degrees. In two- nozzle sprayer shown on page 7, and used on dairy cows, nozzles are respect- ively 16 and 47 inches above top of depressed treadle. Use treadle spring that is strong enough to lift treadle when animal has stepped off. Insert brake bolt in upright about 7 inches from bottom of upright and about 2^ inches above top edge of lever when treadle is depressed. Position of UPPER CONNECTING ROD 6 COMPRESSION SPRING METAL PLATE SOLDERED TO CAN BOLT SOLDE TO CAN ^!hi i GUIDES SOLDERED TO CAN ^ ^i^ijtt^ /«»— ■ — " t!^^ I / •■■"" 1 IW""'- ^^^^^ •1 1 CONNECTING PLATE 'J W ONE-NOZZLE SPRAYER MATERIALS AND APPROXIMATE COSTS 30" long, 1" bent over for hook long, iocs' Lower Connecting Rod- on each end. 3('- 2. Shock Spring — Cot spring or 10-gauge extension spring, 2" 3. Turnbuckle — Vi" turnbuckle, 5Vi" long. 25c Upper Connecting Rod — Vi" iron rod, 26" long, IVi" threaded on one end, 1 " bent over for hook on other end. 25C Connecting Plate — 1/16" brass mending plate, V2" x 2". 1 0«' Guides — 2 1/16" brass inside corner braces, '/2" x 1'/^". 1 Oi;' Compression Spring — %" 14-gauge compression spring, 6" long. 30<(' Me'jj Plate — 20-gauge sheet metal, 3" x 12". 1 0(' Spray Pump — Z & W Model 2000 Hydraulic Hand Sprayer. $1.12 10. Gallon Can — Discarded commerciol spray can. I 1. Spout from Quart or Pint Con — With threads to fit spray pump. Treadle Spring — 2 No. 6 heavy duty screen-door springs, 20" long. 38t'- Lever — 1" x 1" x Va" angle iron, 24" long. 20