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It’s Fly Time!
New resources for woolgrowers to assist in managing flystrike in the lead up to, and during, high-risk flystrike periods.
Flystrike is a significant health and welfare risk for Australian sheep, costing the industry over $173 million annually in prevention, treatment and productivity losses. Painful death and illness from flystrike remains a risk to sheep across most Australian environments. High risk regions are predominantly in southern Australia, particularly in southern Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.
Conditions required for flystrike
The risk of flystrike is greatest during warm and wet conditions. This usually coincides with spring and autumn but it can occur throughout the year if climatic conditions make sheep more susceptible to flystrike and favour fly reproduction.
Blowflies prefer the following conditions:
Whilst the longer-term strategic aim for managing flystrike is to implement prevention strategies before temperature and rainfall increase, when favourable flystrike conditions occur growers are encouraged to regularly monitor their sheep carefully, enabling flystrike to be detected as early as possible for treatment.
It’s Fly Time! resources
Prevention, monitoring and treatment all play key roles in integrated flystrike management in the lead up, and during, high-risk flystrike periods. The following webinar, delivered by AWI and presented by veterinarian and sheep consultant Dr Tim Gole, and resources provide a succinct introduction for woolgrowers on managing during high-risk flystrike conditions; including tips for preventing flystrike, information on prioritising sheep for monitoring and treatment, and options for treating sheep when flystrike does occur.
It’s Fly Time! – Prevention
When it comes to the health and welfare of your sheep, prevention really is the best strategy. Join Dr Tim Gole as he outlines important factors for flystrike prevention, such as when the risk of flystrike is highest, what makes sheep susceptible to flystrike and how to prevent flystrike in AWI It’s Fly Time! – Prevention.
It’s Fly Time! – Monitoring
Whilst prevention is better than cure when it comes to flystrike, it is vitally important to monitor your sheep to ensure your prevention strategies are working. Join Dr Tim Gole as he outlines important factors for flystrike monitoring in your flock, such as why monitoring is important, how to monitor for flystrike and signs of flystrike in AWI It’s Fly Time! – Monitoring.
It’s Fly Time! – Treatment
When it comes to the health and welfare of your sheep, prompt and effective treatment of flystrike is essential. Join Dr Tim Gole as he outlines important factors for flystrike treatment, such as how to treat flystruck sheep, what chemical treatment to use and how to treat the cause of additional strike in AWI It’s Fly Time! – Treatment.
MORE INFORMATION ON FLYSTRIKE
For more detailed information on flystrike management, including access to interactive decision support tools, visit www.flyboss.com.au.
Concerned that your blowfly treatments are losing effectiveness? There are a number of management strategies that growers can adopt to minimise the development of resistance, or at least delay its onset. More information is available here.
For information on AWI’s flystrike research, development and extension program, visit www.wool.com/flystrike.
