Dipping Cattle: Rotating Acaricides to Beat Tick Resistance

The problem: resistant ticks

Ticks breed fast, and any survivors of a dip pass on what saved them. Use the same chemical class season after season and you select for ticks that shrug it off — then the dip that used to work simply doesn’t.

The principle: rotate the class, not the brand

Two brands can be the same chemical class in different packaging. What matters is the active ingredient family (e.g. amidines vs. synthetic pyrethroids vs. macrocyclic lactones). Rotation means changing class on a planned cycle — commonly by season — not just changing labels.

How ThuoTech helps

• Record every dip and the product used — this builds your dip register, which is also what an inspector wants to see.
• Set up a rotation plan and the app warns you when you’re about to run the same product past your own plan’s limit.
• Tick-pressure notes per camp help you judge whether the current class is still doing its job.

Practical rules

• Plan rotation on the calendar, not from memory at the dip tank.
• Dose to the heaviest beasts in the mob, never the average — underdosing is how resistance starts.
• Talk to your vet or livestock advisory officer about which classes are still effective in your district; resistance is local.

Keep these records without the paperwork

Thuo Tech keeps every animal on record — photos, brands and BAITS tag numbers, treatments and withdrawal periods, weights, breeding, movements and sales — on your computer instead of in a book in a drawer. Built in Botswana, from P100 a month per farm.

Try the whole system free for 14 days — no joining fee. Questions? Email info@thuotech.co.bw or call 72114791.