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.
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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.
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