Control of Vespula germanica in the cowshed
1994
Slabezki, Y.
Severe teat damage can be caused to milk cows by the German Yellowjacket (Vespula germanica) through the biting and chewing of skin and sub-cutaneous tissues on or near the teats. Secondary infections occur, mainly by Staphylococcus aureus. This phenomenon had long been known, but has recently gained alarming proportions. During last summer up to one quarter of the cows in some herds were attacked. A control method, found effective against the Oriental Hornet in bee-hives, was tried in the fall of 1993 in a kibbutz dairy herd in the Western Galilee. Five grams of Acephate (Orthene 75s; Chevron Chemicals, CA) were mixed with 500 gr. ground beef bait in each of nine raised cages placed in different locations around the cowsheds. This was done after accustoming the hornets to eating untreated bait, and repeated on three consecutive days. The treatment was found to be very effective. Within a few days the insects were almost completely eradicated, and within two months the teat lesions were entirely cured. A word of warning: because of the toxicity of the chemical, maximum precautions must be exercised in handling it.
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