CGA-72662--a new sheep blowfly insecticide

The efficiency of 2-cyclopropylamino-4, 6-diamino-s-triazine CGA-72662 (proposed common name: cyromazine) for the control of blowfly strike was tested in fly cage and field trials on sheep. The safety to sheep and physico-chemical properties of the compound as they relate to blowfly control were also assessed. When the sheep were thoroughly jetted with a solution of CGA-72662 containing 1g of active ingredient per litre, the mean incidence of fly strike in 7 field trials was reduced from 16.5% to 1.5% over a period of 9 weeks. The incidence of strike in the treated sheep in 2 insectary tests, which imposed levels of fly activity far in excess of that usually encountered in the field, was reduced from 93% and 73% in untreated sheep to 2% and nil respectively over a period of 8 weeks. Jetting with CGA-72662 solutions 100 times greater than the recommended concentration did not produce any side effects in sheep. Three treatments at twice the recommended concentration during the first trimester did not affect pregnant ewes nor their progeny. The compound was safe to use in combination with common anthelmintics and with sheep dips used for control of lice. CGA-72662 was stable in solution. No stripping occurred in dips and it persisted on wool for a considerable period. A satisfactory alternative to the organophosphorus insecticides has been found in CGA-72662, since it provided a substantial increase in residual protection against blowfly strike with a high degree of safety.