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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.
Long Wool Treatments
When lice infestations are found between shearings, a decision to treat in long wool or to wait until the next shearing is required. It is important to note that long wool treatments will not eradicate lice and regardless of whether or not a long wool treatment is applied, sheep will need to be treated again after the next shearing. Long wool treatments are often expensive to apply and some products can leave high residue levels.
There are two main methods of long wool treatment; hand-jetting and long wool backline. Consult the LiceBoss products module for a list of products registered for long wool treatment in Australia.
It is often not clear whether it is better to muster the sheep and apply a long wool treatment or to wait and treat after the sheep are shorn.The long wool module in LiceBoss can help with this decision.
Early shearing is rarely the most cost effective choice but can be considered if the early shearing time is convenient and it is essential to eradicate lice immediately rather than wait until the usual shearing time.
Some long wool treatments have wool withholding periods that prohibit their use close to shearing. For maximum flexibility in treatment options, it is important to monitor for lice regularly so that new infestations are detected early. Refer to Hand jetting sheep for instructions to get best effect when hand jetting for long wool lice control. For long wool backline treatments read and follow the product label instructions carefully.