The aim of the study was to compare the intensity of fly invasions during the grazing period in two breeds of young cattle. Studies were carried out on 26 2-year old heifers of Polish Red and 25 of Black-and-White Lowland breed. Flies were counted every day, for 6 days in July, on grazing animals between 12-13 pm. within 15 s. at angles in both eyes, on the nose, cheek, neck, side as well as on foreleg and hind leg. Flies particularly attacked the cattle during windless and hot days. The number of insects on the heifers depended both on body region and breed of cattle. House flies, and some species of grazing flies, mostly gathered in the angles of the eyes and nose. A lot of flies occurred also on the heifer’s sides, mainly in the case of Polish Red, and the majority of these flies were Stomoxys type. In heifers of Polish Red breed, the average number of insects in the examined regions was 15.3-27.8% lower than in Black-and-White. The explanation for this phenomenon may be related to the color of coat, which does not heat up as much as in Black-and-White, or the attractiveness of tears and mucus of Polish Red.
One problem underestimated by veterinarians and farmers in horses is diptera Hippobosca equina, a blood-sucking insect that annoys horses and causes skin injuries. The aim of the presented studies was to estimate the extensiveness and intensity of Hippobosca equina invasion in primitive Polish horses during the grazing period. Studies were carried out from July to October on 15 mares, 10 sucking foals, as well as on 15 young stallions and 13 young mares. Insects were counted in all animals once in mid June, then daily from July 24 to 29, next on August 16, September 20 and October 25. In July the presence of Hippobosca equina was not found in mares and sucking foals, but in young horses the invasion occurred in more than 53% of stallions and about 76% of mares. Daily examinations in July showed the presence of diptera in all groups, but not in all animals. The maximum invasion extensiveness in mares (80%) occurred July 28, while in foals July 26 (90%) and August 16 (70%). In 1.5-year-old mares and stallions H. equina occurred in July and lasted up to September. The greatest number of insects (up to 11) was found July 29 in one stallion and July 25, 27 and 29 in mares (up to 29). The extensiveness of invasion in young stallions in the early part of the summer fluctuated between 53.3% (June) and 93.3% (July 27) and decreased in September to about 27%, while in young mares it was more than 92% in July and August and 30.8% in September. Hippobosca. equina did not occur in October in 1.5-year-old horses.
The aim of the study was to estimate the extensiveness and intensity of Hippobosca equina in primitive Polish horses. Studies were carried out on 13 mares, 10 sucking colts as well as 15 mares and 10 stallions at 1.5-2 years of age from July 25-30, 2005. The presence of H. equina was found in all animals, but the number of insects depended on the horses age and sex. The extensiveness (E.i) and intensity (I.i) of invasion fluctuated between 23-38.5% 0.6-2.2 in mares, 10-30% and 1.0 in sucking colts, while in 1.5-2 year-old mares and stallions E.i. and I.i. it was 40-80%, 2.1-9 53.3-86.7% and 3.8-6.5 respectively. A certain level of anxiety, which manifested in intensive tail lashing and frequent scraping of posts or tree trunks, was observed in the animals despite the minor level of intensity in the invasion which did not exceed 9 insects per animal. Skin Inflammations were also noted, especially in mares, which were unrelated to the amount of parasites existing in the anus and pudendum lips. The lack of interest in H. equina invasions in horses on the part of veterinary surgeons is probably due to difficulties in actually diagnosing them, since this insect exists in places which are invisible and difficult to examine in grazing animals.