Dung beetle conference

[Ffermer Bach]

Any going to the dung beetle conference in Bristol next week (Tuesday and Wednesday)?

 

[yellowbelly]

I know they're important little critters but, Jeez, is there that much to talk about that it'll rake two days

 

[Bury the Trash]

I know they're important little critters but, Jeez, is there that much to talk about that it'll rake two days

i expect its one day for the conference and one for getting through the Bristol traffic..

 

[Will 1594]

I know they're important little critters but, Jeez, is there that much to talk about that it'll rake two days

yellow how is the clic and such type products affecting beetles that live or work shite down . surely it kills them

 

[Bogweevil]

I know they're important little critters but, Jeez, is there that much to talk about that it'll rake two days

When dung beetles hold a coneference it is quite a party then. Who would of thought they had it in them?

Agenda here: https://farmcarbontoolkit.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Dung-Beetle-Conference-programme-WEB.pdf

Day one is for farmers and other practical sorts, day two for dung beetle nerds. Day tickets available.

In Blagdon, long way south of Bristol, in Somerset, nothing is perfect.

 

[yellowbelly]

yellow how is the clic and such type products affecting beetles that live or work shite down . surely it kills them

I suppose that how as they don't make a habit of crawling about on sheep, it doesn't affect them too much

 

[Will 1594]

I suppose that how as they don't make a habit of crawling about on sheep, it doesn't affect them too much

I mean these products must go through them and have some residue in muck ,and kill any insect or bugs that go in muck ,just wondering

 

[choochter]

a 2 day conference you say?
have you got the agenda off pat?

 

[Cowlife]

I've always noticed dung pats full of beetles before I dose cattle. Afterwards as the year goes on I see less and less.
I reckon ivermectin and the fly pourons are the worst.

I've cut way down on fly pouron but can't eliminate dosing. I believe the drenches don't do as much harm but they not as easy to use.

I'd be open to ideas of how to enhance that side of things

 

[Treg]

I've always noticed dung pats full of beetles before I dose cattle. Afterwards as the year goes on I see less and less.
I reckon ivermectin and the fly pourons are the worst.

I've cut way down on fly pouron but can't eliminate dosing. I believe the drenches don't do as much harm but they not as easy to use.

I'd be open to ideas of how to enhance that side of things

Dung beetles eat worm larvae, if you can reduce/ stop using fly and worm products the dung beetles will increase and you won't need the products.
I've wormed 4 cattle in 10 years , good grass management and rotating grazing is key.

 

[martian]

Dung beetles eat worm larvae, if you can reduce/ stop using fly and worm products the dung beetles will increase and you won't need the products. I've wormed 4 cattle in 10 years , good grass management and rotating grazing is key. Agree...we haven't wormed anything for a few years and FEC Tests showing no worm burden. Saves cash and dung beetles, what's not to like?

 

[choochter]

if I se A LOT of flies bothering my cattle I'll give them a pour on to avoid mastitis

 

[Treg]

if I se A LOT of flies bothering my cattle I'll give them a pour on to avoid mastitis

Have you tried garlic licks?

 

[Cowlife]

Dung beetles eat worm larvae, if you can reduce/ stop using fly and worm products the dung beetles will increase and you won't need the products. I've wormed 4 cattle in 10 years , good grass management and rotating grazing is key. Agree...we haven't wormed anything for a few years and FEC Tests showing no worm burden. Saves cash and dung beetles, what's not to like?

Do you vaccinate for lungworm?

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Dung beetles eat worm larvae, if you can reduce/ stop using fly and worm products the dung beetles will increase and you won't need the products. I've wormed 4 cattle in 10 years , good grass management and rotating grazing is key. Agree...we haven't wormed anything for a few years and FEC Tests showing no worm burden. Saves cash and dung beetles, what's not to like?

The biggest problem we have is fly strike on lambs, and the answer is click, but these products kill the dung beetles, and there doesn't seem to be an answer. Could we breed sheep that don't get fly strike, yes, the exlana ewes don't, but their lambs are still born with fleeces. I know susceptibility to fly strike is a heritable trait in ewes, but I don't know has that transfers to the lambs.

 

[Cowlife]

I recall reading one of james herriot books years ago. He was talking about housing cattle that had been bad and dosing with chloroform paraffin and turpentine (or something equally rough).
This was prewormers on cattle which should have had ample opportunity to gain resistance etc.

Also by the same token there should have been more beneficial about as well.

I m sure there's scope to reduce all these things but I'd be wary of trying to farm without them.

 

[Sally-Ann Spence]

Dung beetles eat worm larvae, if you can reduce/ stop using fly and worm products the dung beetles will increase and you won't need the products. I've wormed 4 cattle in 10 years , good grass management and rotating grazing is key. Agree...we haven't wormed anything for a few years and FEC Tests showing no worm burden. Saves cash and dung beetles, what's not to like?

Hullo, dung beetle nerd & livestock farmer here. They don’t eat worm larvae, they dry the pat out & make it an unsuitable habitat for the parasite to continue its lifecycle before migrating out into the pasture to be ingested again. Alongside that loads of other highly beneficial ecosystem functions. You are doing absolutely the right thing monitoring burdens & target treating if needed Sally-Ann Spence

 

[Sally-Ann Spence]

I've always noticed dung pats full of beetles before I dose cattle. Afterwards as the year goes on I see less and less.
I reckon ivermectin and the fly pourons are the worst.

I've cut way down on fly pouron but can't eliminate dosing. I believe the drenches don't do as much harm but they not as easy to use.

I'd be open to ideas of how to enhance that side of things

The sad truth is any parasite treatment is an insecticide & as these chemicals continue in the dung they are toxic to not only dung beetles but also other fauna including aquatic after reaching waterways. Many of the beetles & holes in your fresh pats are made by hydrophilid or water scavenger beetles. The some of the species adults do eat dung (larvae predatory) but do not do all the other important ecosystem functions dung beetles do.
We are working on alternatives & at present a lot comes down to target treating, not blanket treating all stock, breeding for resilience as well as resistance etc. I’m speaking at Groundswell again this year, if you are going either day, find me, I’m more than happy to chat

 

[Sally-Ann Spence]

I mean these products must go through them and have some residue in muck ,and kill any insect or bugs that go in muck ,just

 

[Sally-Ann Spence]

You get insects in the dung that don’t actually eat it but less & not performing all the ecosystem functions you need to benefit soil, pasture, livestock health or wider biodiversity. We now have the data showing how avermectins in FYM spread on fields is still affecting inverts in watercourses. The dung beetles you need only feed/breed in the dung pats not in muck heaps.