Control of biting insects on pigs

Summary

Biting insects such as flies, mosquitoes, midges or sand flies and ticks can cause major economic loss to pig farmers. Irritation from biting flies and mosquitoes can cause skin lesions or allergic-type reactions in pigs.

Some pigs need to be skinned at the abattoir. A skin from a finisher pig can weigh 17 kg and the financial penalty may be as much as $34 per pig (depending on the current price per kg), as well as additional downgrades depending on the abattoir.

Paralysis ticks can cause deaths among piglets and illness in older pigs housed outdoors resulting in major financial loss for the farmer.

This factsheet offers some guidelines for the control of biting insects.




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Factsheet PUB22/159 Second Edition

Published: 28 Mar 2022