In this experiment, the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of a 25% diflubenzuron commercial formulation were evaluated for control of Haematobia irritans infestation on cattle. For the in vitro test, horn-fly eggs were cultivated in feces from untreated or treated with 25% diflubenzuron for verification of adult emergence. In the in vivo test, 40 crossbred female bovines were divided into 2 experimental groups: Controls (C) and treated (T) with 25% diflubenzuron, with similar horn-fly infestations. In the in vitro test, the control group had a mean emergence of 86% (± 8.4%) while the group cultivated in feces from cattle treated with 25% diflubenzuron had a mean emergence rate of only 1% (± 0.2%), showing product efficacy of 98.83%. In the in vivo test no significant reduction was observed in the fly count of the C group, whereas the T group showed a clear reduction in the infestation (t = 16.46, p < 0.0001). The efficacy of the product under field conditions was 99.20%. In conclusion, the formulation of 25% diflubenzuron demonstrated efficacy against H. irritans, and is therefore indicated for this purpose.
Larvicide; horn flies; cattle; insect growth regulator