Camel tick (Acari:Ixodidae) control with pour-on application of flumethrin.

The pyrethroid flumethrin (Bayticol) was tested in camels (Camelus dromedarius) as a pour-on for the control of the camel tick, Hyalomma dromedarii. Two, small, naturally infested camel herds, one heavily infested and the other lightly infested, each composed of eight head of animals, were used for this field trial. In each herd, four camels were randomly selected for treatment and the other four untreated camels were kept as controls. The heavily infested herd was treated with 2 ml 10kg-1 body weight per animal whereas the lightly infested herd was treated with 1 ml 10kg-1 body weight per animal. Comparison of the number of adult ticks on treated animals with those on untreated ones revealed that there were high figures of percentage control within 2 weeks after the application of both dose rates. No side-effects of treatment were observed. This trial has demonstrated that flumethrin is safe and effective when used to control ticks on dromedaries, and the pour-on method for insecticide application is fast and easy and is suitable for use by camel owners in the desert.