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Lice Info
Effective lice control consists of three main elements:
- Preventing new infestations.
- Structured monitoring to detect infestations early.
- Strategic use of chemicals to eradicate infestations when they occur.
Lice Info contains resource material to help design and implement an effective lice control program. Click on a menu item at right for information.
Impact of Lice
If left unchecked, sheep lice can cause reductions in wool cut of up to 1 Kg per head. They downgrade wool quality by reducing yield and increasing the amount of wool placed in inferior lines because of unscourable colour and cotting. Lice-affected wool also suffers greater card loss during processing, reduced top yield and reduced mean fibre length in the wool top.
Lice do not cause reductions in body weight, although animals in poor condition because of poor nutrition or disease often develop heavier infestations of lice.
For a detailed description of the economic impacts of lice see Why control sheep lice?