Feeding garlic to cattle can help prevent flies from pestering them and feeding on their blood. Studies done where cattle were fed mineral salt that contained garlic powder show that flies were less likely to land on cattle compared to another group that was fed mineral salt without the garlic powder. The cattle themselves didn’t seem to mind eating the garlic powder. Garlic can be an effective way to keep flies away from a herd of cattle, especially during the grazing season.
Key Takeaways:
- Horn flies take up residence on the flanks and rears of cows, living off the animal’s blood until mating season and the laying of larvae.
- A single scientific study showed that a two percent garlic solution with salt was not a deterrent to the horn fly infestation problem.
- A later study that used 150 calf pairings and the actual counting of each fly occurrence was able to overturn these results.
“According to Canadian research in 2017, cows fed trace mineral salt fortified with garlic powder had 52 and 56 percent fewer flies on average than the two control groups fed plain trace mineral salt.”
Read more: https://onpasture.com/2020/04/27/garlic-for-fly-control/