Perhaps this post,
Vermicides will answer some of your questions. Ivermectin is one
of the common heart worm medications used once-a-month and is
marketed under the brand name of Heartgard and Heartgard Plus is
(Ivermectin + Pyrantel). Pyrantel is a common chenical/medication
used in treating certain intestinal worms. There are at least six
different drugs that I saw that are used to treat intestinal worms. I
would expect all of these to be harmful to earthworms, if applied as
in fresh manure. Apparently earthworms are able to carry/transmit
cysts of round worms, so you might want to take this into
consideration with your operation.
From: Kelly Slocum
> To: compost@listproc.wsu.edu
> Subject: Vermicides in livestock manure
> Date: Sunday, April 05, 1998 1:05 PM
>
> The family of drugs from which Ivermectin comes; the Avermectins,
are
> quite lethal to eathworms and a host of other arthropods associated
with
> the brekdown of organic matter. As is usually the case with these
kinds
> of situations, however, there is research which supports both sides
of
> the arguement 'are the vermicides a hazard or no't. I've been
doing a
> lot of research for this very topic for worm digest and wht I can
tell
> you is that Ivermectin and Doramectin, the most commonly used
vermicides
> in the world are easily broken down by ultrviolet light and in a
> thermophilic compost pile. they are alos harmelss in AGED manure.
> there is reason to suspect that these vermicides MAY be responsible
for
> decreased breeding rates and low populations in some vermicomposting
> systems however, when fresh, uncomposted manure has been applied.
>
> Some other things you need to know are that livestock is not wormed
all
> the time and that not all livestock needs to be wormed. You can
check
> with the person from whom you get the manure to find when the last
> worming was done on the animals which generated the manure you're
> looking for. Ivermenctin remains in the body of the animal for
about a
> week, Doramectin for as long as three weeks. Manures generated
during
> these times should be composted before being used in your worm beds.
>
> In terms of compost piles, again, thermophilic treament destroys the
> avermectins. Also, while it has been shown that these medications
CAN
> slow decomposition, it's also likley that moisture levels and
climate
> play a much greater role in the speed of decomposition than do
> vermicides.
>
> These vermicides are very effective and safe for livestock. They
should
> not be viewed as "bad" materials but simply handled in such a way
that
> they have no negative impact on the remediation systems chosen.
This is
> very simple to do. Remember, worms prefer aged manure any way!
>
> Kelly Slocum
> Vermiculture Specialist
> Associate Editor, Worm Digest
-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), January 19, 2002.