<p>Rural residents are the ones who have the most popular knowledge about useful plants for various purposes. For this reason, information is collected on the popular knowledge of plants for veterinary use to control ectoparasites in domestic animals and analyse how it relates to scientific knowledge. 151 semi-structured interviews were applied to students of veterinary medicine and agricultural engineering from the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (FCAA) of the Juan de Castellanos University (FUJDC), Tunja (Boyacá-Colombia). The relevance index was applied through the Anthropac® statistical method, quantifying its variability and the higher frequency of choice by the students. The survey responses were grouped by categories to be analysed with descriptive statistical methods using Microsoft Excel® 2016. 14 species of plants of ethno veterinary use for the control of ectoparasites were found: altamisa (Ambrosia cumanensis), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), calendula (Calendula officinalis), elder (Sambucus nigra), paico (Dysphania ambrosioides), pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) , garlic (Allium sativum), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus), rue (Ruta graveolens), chili (Capsicum annuum), garlic (Allium sativum), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), borrachero (Brugmansia arborea), verbena (Verbena officinalis). The traditional knowledge about the use and preparation of plants to control external parasites in domestic animals by the respondents is very ambiguous. Finally, the surveyed population has an ambiguous knowledge of the management and uses of medicinal plants for the control of ectoparasites. It is necessary to promote phytotherapy as a complementary alternative to veterinary medicine, the recovery of traditional knowledge to keep animals healthy through environmentally friendly strategies, and suggest studies that validate local knowledge.</p>