Flies Menaces in Dairy Farm and Its Strategies for Prevention and Control: An Overview

Abstract

India being a tropical country faces high fly attack problems during summer season that adversely affect dairy animal health and performance. Fly attacks may compromise animal welfare and cause monetary losses due to distress suffered by the animals results in feeding disruptions and decreased milk production. Although conventional insecticides are used for flies control, but safety alarms and buildup of insecticide resistance indicate the need for alternative control strategies. Thus, to deal with the issue of insecticide resistance, many plant extracts and oils (such as Allium, Azadirachta, Cymbopogon, Eucalyptus, Pogostemon, Mentha, Ricinus) composed of bioactive compound are being exploited that can exert different modes of action and averting resistance. Use of non-host semiochemicals and kairomones baited on the traps are the other control methods that are also effective against the various fly species. Therefore, problems of various fly species can be controlled significantly with the appropriate use of botanical extracts, oils, non-host semiochemicals and kairomones, and thereby improving the overall welfare of dairy animals.