Managing wireworm
Farmer's Weekly|January 24, 2020
A vaccine against wireworm has become a vital tool in helping to control the disease and thereby reduce contamination of pasture by the eggs of the parasite.
Roelof Bezuidenhout
Managing wireworm

The cost of managing wireworm in South Africa is estimated to be about R595 million a year. Unfortunately, resistance to anthelmintic drugs, used to control parasitic worms, is on the rise, which makes wireworm control with these drugs almost impossible.

“The effect of wireworms in livestock can be extremely damaging,” says Dr. Arina Shepherd, a veterinarian specialising in goats and sheep in Underberg, KwaZulu-Natal.

She explains that one female can lay up to 10 000 eggs a day for 21 days. Each egg develops into an infective larva and eventually a blood-sucking wireworm that can cause a sheep to lose 0,05ml of blood a day.

This story is from the January 24, 2020 edition of Farmer's Weekly.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January 24, 2020 edition of Farmer's Weekly.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM FARMER'S WEEKLYView All
Protests in Poland turn violent
Farmer's Weekly

Protests in Poland turn violent

The farmers’ protest in Poland is fast becoming known as the most violent agricultural protest in Europe, according to national media.

time-read
1 min  |
29 March 2024
Banana Hall of Fame celebrates banana industry
Farmer's Weekly

Banana Hall of Fame celebrates banana industry

In celebration of its 125th Bananaversary, Dole Food in the US recently established a National Banana Hall of Fame to honour culinary and cultural institutions that have helped to establish bananas as one of the world’s most popular and most purchased fruit.

time-read
1 min  |
29 March 2024
Underutilised crops come into their own
Farmer's Weekly

Underutilised crops come into their own

Diverse food systems are the focus of collaborative efforts at UKZN, writes Jyothi Laldas.

time-read
2 mins  |
29 March 2024
Why cybersecurity is needed in farming
Farmer's Weekly

Why cybersecurity is needed in farming

The agriculture sector could be the most susceptible to cyberattacks.

time-read
3 mins  |
29 March 2024
Minister launches third National Status of Biological Invasions in SA programme
Farmer's Weekly

Minister launches third National Status of Biological Invasions in SA programme

Biological invasions need to be treated as an urgent matter as they pose a risk to water security as well as biodiversity, writes Jyothi Laldas.

time-read
3 mins  |
29 March 2024
Two brothers who left their mark on SA
Farmer's Weekly

Two brothers who left their mark on SA

Born in Germany, Alfred and Otto Beit came to the Transvaal's diamond fields in the late 1800s, helping to found mining companies and build crucial infrastructure, writes Graham Jooste.

time-read
5 mins  |
29 March 2024
Driving impressions: Honda Elevate 1,5
Farmer's Weekly

Driving impressions: Honda Elevate 1,5

Honda SA is back to its best in terms of packaging, build quality, value-for-money and efficiency with a new entry to the hotly contested compact SUV market. Ian McLaren for CAR tested the vehicle at its launch.

time-read
3 mins  |
29 March 2024
Starting a small-farm vegetable project: Part 2
Farmer's Weekly

Starting a small-farm vegetable project: Part 2

The process of developing a small vegetable farm is gradual and the full benefits will only be realised later, writes Bill Kerr.

time-read
2 mins  |
29 March 2024
Basic vaccination and health protocols for pigs
Farmer's Weekly

Basic vaccination and health protocols for pigs

Pigs are usually produced in intensive environments such as purpose-built piggeries, sties, or even enclosed sheds.

time-read
3 mins  |
29 March 2024
Saving Nigeria's forest elephants
Farmer's Weekly

Saving Nigeria's forest elephants

Nigeria risks losing all its forest elephants. This is what Rosemary Iriowen Egonmwan, professor of environmental physiology of animals at the University of Lagos, and Bola Oboh, professor of genetics at the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics at the University of Lagos, found when they went looking for them.

time-read
4 mins  |
29 March 2024