Sheep dip

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

- Sheep dip is a liquid mix of insecticide and fungicide used to protect sheep from external parasites like itch mites, blow-fly, ticks, and lice.
- Dipping means immersing sheep in water that contains these chemicals.
- The first sheep dip was created by George Wilson of Coldstream, Scotland in 1830, based on arsenic powder.
- Cooper's Dip, developed in 1852 by William Cooper of Berkhamsted, England, became very successful.
- Dips come as powders, pastes, solutions, or suspensions and are diluted before use. The word also refers to the trough where sheep are dipped.
- There are two main types: organophosphorus compounds (very toxic to humans and can be absorbed through the skin) and synthetic pyrethroids.
- Dips can be fixed in-ground or mobile; later, rotating power-spray dips were invented. In many places they are being replaced by methods like backliners and jetting.
- Dips can contaminate soil and water and harm aquatic life, so careful management is needed. Organophosphates can cause poisoning.