hay mowers and blister beetles

[Pusto]

The over-abundance of blister beetles this summer has me thinking about them and hay production, since the beetles contain a toxin which is poisonous to livestock if they ingest the insects. I read that a sickle-bar mower is less likely to cause the insects to be retained in the hay, since the hay just falls over and the blister beetles walk away. On the other hand, a mower/conditioners crushes the insects and the toxin stays in the hay. My question is: Will a disc mower do the same thing that a MOCO does, that is , cause the insects to stay in the hay? Thanks for any help.

 

[SLHawkins]

Pusto,
There are both sickle-bar and disc MoCos. Like a sickle-bar, the discs are just the cutting mechanicsm. Unless your equipment has the roller bars to press the hay (and the bugs), it will just fall over and lay flat allowing the bugs to walk away.

Hawk