flies

[Nancy Howell]

We had two very nice warm days in a row and the blasted flies are out. I've been using permethrin because it won't hurt my animals, but it has zero lasting power. I can spray in the morning, but by evening the flies are just as bad. Any suggestions? Tired of spending hours and lots of $ spraying.

 

[Dave H (MI)]

Kids horse trainer used to spray em down with fabric softner and water....but I found out she was on drugs so MAYBE you should ask the vet first???

 

[msb]

Golden link_disallowed fly bait. Control them now and it is easier to control them later.

 

[Kansas Cockshutt]

Get some fly bait. Set it out in a dish where the animals can"t get at it. The flies are attracted to it, eat it and die. As they die I think the buzzing attracts other flies. Have a big pile usually by the end of the day in the dish.

 

[ScottyHOMeY]

Are they comin into buildings from outside?

One place I went to out in New Mexico had storage size Zip-Lock bags filled with water, and hung one over each door into their barns, tack rooms, etc. Looked kind of odd, so I had to ask. They said they actually helped to keep the flies out. Not sure what's up with that.

 

[Nancy Howell]

Several years ago, the water bag fly repellent swept the country. I tried it. Flies loved it. Roosted all over the bags and the strings. My barn is open along one side where the corral is. Since I have 4 horses and a little over 2 acres in pasture, I keep the horses up during the day and turn them out in the eve and on w/e. Since the average horse produces up to 40lbs of manure a day, there is always lots of poop around. Feed through fly insecticides are worthless. Tried the fly predators one year, but didn"t have much success. The guy across the street with 6 or 7 horses, does no fly control it makes it hard for me to keep the fly population down in my barn/corral.

 

[Bob Kerr]

Spray them down with dawn dish soap and water mixed. If you get it on them good it suffocates them. You should see what it does to camel back crickets! Locks them up in 2 seconds! I used in in the house last year for fleas and it did well with those varmints too. Doesn"t take much more than a couple tablespoons to a gallon of water. Cheap and effective!

 

[jose bagge]

We use the Spalding Fly Predators- it's almost like a service you subscribe to and the critters arive about avery 4 weeks.
This has worked great for us for the past 3 years- I heartily endorse them!

We also put bat boxes in the trees near the barn, and the usual bird houses. Helluva show around dusk-

 

[John (C-IL)]

You need to get them where they are hatching, in the manure. The only effective way to do it are with Rabon or AFC in the feed or mineral. I prefer in the feed because all of the animals eat.

 

[Anonymous-0]

There you go. Goldan link_disallowed.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I usually kill the first fly I see in the spring.
It helps some.

 

[old]

I use fly paper and or fly traps. Both seem to work well and are friendly to nature. The fly trap I had at one time had a gal. jar and you put in some rotten meat etc. and it would trap them and of course they would then die
Hobby farm

 

[Walt Davies]

I have used Permectin with good success very expensive though. Spray everything even the horses and cows be sure to follow the directions.
Walt

 

[Anonymous-0]

Chickens - they love flies on poop. Good ranging chickens preferred - you don't have to feed them as much.

 

[Don L C]

Years ago when we had the dairy farm,we had electric fly killers.....they were wood rectangle boxes 2'x5'wood bottom (plywood)6" or 8" sides open top....the top was a series of 1/16" or 1/8"metal rods placed in a insulated grid about 3/8" apart...every other rod was 110v the others we grounded....

You placed bait inside the box......FRIED FLIES
A couple of these in your barn would make a big differnce....

You know,they used to sell a rig like that for your patio.....

 

[Anonymous-0]

I like that..LOL!!
The P is silent as in swimming.
every little helps.

 

[Spook]

I had horses for 20 years. I gave up on all sprays, baits, poisons. None worked for very long. The best thing you can do is to be as clean as possible with the manure. I took to cleaning the barn and surrounding paddock twice a day. Then composting the manure downwind of the barn. The flies need the manure for their life cycle. Keep it cleaned up, and you will have a lot less flies. I kept masks on the horses in the summer, keeps the flies away from their eyes. After a couple of weeks, the fly population will fall off.