Types Of Lice
Two types of lice affect cattle:
Biting lice (e.g. Bovicola bovis) - survive by feeding on skin cells
Sucking lice (e.g. Linognathus vituli) - survive by feeding on blood
Lice are more prevalent in winter and can’t survive extreme heat or exposure to sunlight.
They can hide in the longer winter coat of cattle, close to the skin and typically first appear around the base of the tail or in front of the shoulders because they survive the heat of summer on the underside of the animal between the front and back legs of cattle where they are more protected.
When cattle stand closer together to keep warm during cooler weather, this facilitates the spread of lice from one animal to the next.