Caracterização da percepção dos produtores do município de Divinópolis/MG sobre a importância do carrapato Boophilus microplus e fatores determinantes das formas de combate utilizadas

Abstract

Semi-sistematized interviews to 100 dairy farmers from Divinópolisit county- MG were applied with the purpose of rising informationabout the knowledge on cattle ticks, and their control. It wasobserved that milk production in Divinópolis is composed mainly by"small farmers". who can then be characterized not just by the sizeof their properties. but by their production and economics structuretoo. The farmers interviewed did not show enough knowledge ofrational tick control and ignored the aspects related to the prejudicethat can be caused by ticks upon the productive system. The application of acaricides in the studied properties were made in atraditional way. tutder high frequency dipping and low volume ofacaricide for the whole year. The majority of interviewed farmersdid not realize the disadvantage that the application of acaricidescould cause. specially the economic one. The chemical control ofticks was seen as a daily procedure in the bovine production. Thesefacts suggest that teclniology is not being passed to the farmers, andthat present conditions are increasing resistant strain occurrence.