“We found that painting zebra-like stripes on domesticated cows can decrease the incidence of biting flies landing on individuals by 50%,” the researchers reported.

No, scientists are not unveiling a new cow-zebra crossbreed, but they are painting cattle with stripes.

Science Painting zebra stripes on cattle discourages biting flies, new study says The stripes apparently confuse the pesky bugs' motion detector systems.

Ranchers might want to consider painting "zebra stripes" on their livestock. According to a new study published in PLoS ONE, the measure reduces the number of biting flies on cows by more than half.

It states that painting cows with black and white stripes instead provides defence against biting flies using a method that is more beneficial to the environment and human health.

Some cows got zebra stripes, some received black stripes only, and others were left in their natural coat with no paint at all. The zebra trick worked.

Painting livestock with black-and-white zebra stripes can help them avoid blood-sucking flies, according to a new study. The technique could help reduce pesticide use and improve livestock health.

“We found that painting zebra-like stripes on cows can decrease the incidence of biting flies landing on individuals by 50 percent,” the study concludes.

WASHINGTON — A group of Japanese researchers found that painting stripes that mimic those found on zebras seems to dramatically reduce the amount of biting flies pestering livestock.

Ranchers might want to consider painting "zebra stripes" on their livestock. According to a new study published in PLoS ONE, the measure reduces the number of biting flies on cows by more than half.

Researchers in the study hypothesized that the black cows painted with white stripes seemed to "avoid biting fly attacks" and they saw a decrease in those fly-repelling behaviors listed.