[Economic importance of protecting draft horses used in forestry against blood-sucking dipterous insects].

This research studied the impact of blood-sucking insects on the productivity of workhorses in forestry and tested a potential repellent solution. They found this intervention significantly increased productivity and resulted in cost savings.

Objective and Methodology

• The research focused on the negative effect of blood-sucking insects on draft horses – horses that are primarily used for heavy work like logging in forests – and potential solutions to mitigate this impact.
• The trial was performed under field conditions, specifically in the Broumov Forest Establishment, in the Náchod and Trutnov districts. A 10% water emulsion of diethyltoluamide (a common insect repellent) was applied to the horses in 24-hour intervals.
• The study was undertaken over seventy working days from the start of July to the end of September in 1981.

Key Findings

• Measurements of working performance showed that the productivity of the test horse improved significantly upon using the repellent. More specifically, there was a 58.06% increase in performance, translating to an additional 153 cubic meters of wood moved.
• When calculated per horse per day, the improvement amounted to 2.19 cubic meters of wood, which resulted in significant cost savings. The researchers calculated that the prime costs saved amounted to 35.50 Czechoslovak crowns.
• The loss per untreated horse was estimated to be 9180 crowns, emphasizing the economic implications of not protecting horses from blood-sucking insects.
• The researchers presented a cost-effectiveness analysis, demonstrating that for each crown of capital expended, the return was 309.07 crowns, indicating a high effectiveness for the costs associated with the repellent use.
• The resulted were statistically significant, confirming that the observed improvements were not due to random variations, but a genuine effect of protecting the horses from the insects.

Implications of the Research

• The study provides strong empirical evidence for the economic benefits of protecting draft horses in forestry operations from blood-sucking insects.
• The repellent used (diethyltoluamide) is a cost-effective solution, as it resulted in marked productivity increase and financial savings.
• The findings have significant implications for forest management and could lead to shifts in best practices for employing draft horses in forestry operations.