**14.9 Sheep Ked or sheep tick** *Melophagus ovinus* **Linnaeus**

It is a fly from the family Hippoboscidae, brown and hairy in color and resembles a tick. This wingless fly is about 4–6 mm long and has a small head. They are blood-feeding parasites of sheep. The sheep ked feeds on the blood of host by inserting its sharp mouthparts into capillaries beneath the skin. The adult hippoboscids are well adapted to an existence on wool, hair and feathers for blood feeding. The life span of this fly is about 4 months with adult females retaining larvae internally until pupation and may produce 10–20 larvae by producing a single larva at a time. Pupae are attached directly to the wool, pupal stage lasts for 19–23 days and adult lives for 7–10 days. The entire life cycle of this fly takes place while it is on the infested animal. Other hippoboscid flies are important vectors for some avian diseases such as *Haemoproteus* sp. The sheep ked *Melophagus ovinus* (**Figure 22**), once remained a serious pest in the sheep industry. Several similar genera are present on wildlife including deer and elk. Adults ked can be killed using treatment dips and sprays most commonly containing ivermectin or pyrethrin. Use of injectable antihelminthics is also effective against some arthropods that have made this a less frequent problem [90].
