Lice in Cattle:

Most pests are generally not known to be a big problem during the winter months and they are more closely associated with the environment caused by the heat present during the summer months.



During the summer, an animal will tend to sweat significantly more than it does during the cool winter months, offering a number of insects with the perfect opportunity to breed in the thick coats. However, cattle lice is one of the rare insect species that are considered to be cool weather pests and the probe will usually become more apparent during the fall, build through the winter and peak towards the end of winter or early spring.



If the problem is ignored and left untreated, the cow is likely to be infested by tens of thousands of lice by late winter. All in all, there are 4 types of cattle lice.



Out of these 4, one is considered to be a biting louse while the other 3 are known as sucking lice. The biting lice will usually feed on dead skin and scabs while the sucking lice possess long, needle like mouths that allow them to penetrate through the skin and suck the blood and serum from the cattle. The biting louse will usually measure about 1 to 1.5 mm and is usually yellowish – white with a red head and 8 cross – bands on its abdomen. The sucking lice are relatively larger with the short nosed cattle louse measuring about 2.75 to 3.25 mm, the long nosed cattle louse measuring about 2.5 mm although the little blue louse is around the same as the biting louse at 1.5 mm.

Lice are known to affect cattle of all ages and breeds and are a very common problem all over the world. Lice are generally very active insects and tend to move over the cows body to prey on its host. The sucking lice are considered to be especially bad for the cattle because of the fact that it is directly stealing the energy from the cattle. Lice symptoms in cow are very closely related to the same that occur in an infestation to any other animal. The itching will probably be one of the most uncomfortable experiences and the cow will usually tend to aggressively scratch itself by rubbing its body against the coarse bark of a tree. The hair may seemingly be rubbed off in chunks and patches until it is raw and bleeding.