I hear you
I have traps, I spray them. Problem is with flies, you kill one and ten come to the funeral.
I did have success with the feed-through pellets. Greatly reduced the fly population. Stupid me stopped feeding it, since " there are no flies no more" and boy did I have an invasion.....
Needless to say, next month I'll be feeding it again.

 

feed through helps. fly predators maybe but then you cannot use the feed through. I started adding avon skin so soft bath oil to help keep the fly spray on longer . Chickens will eat the flies etc out of the poo, but then you have the chickens to deal with . We got a few good freezes this year, so hoepfully the files will be reduced in numbers. Fly traps and more fly traps.

 

Thanks. I am trying Fly Be Gone feed thru from Jeffers. Just got it and actually just started feeding it yesterday. Never tried it before. My wife and I are tempted to try the fly predictors. With 3 horses and a dokey here and 4 horses next door, it's a mess. And I think you are wrong. It's 25 that come to the funeral when one dies. LOL! Thanks for the input.

 

It's either feed through, or predators. Predators live of fly larvae, feed through prevents larvae from hatching. Or you the feed through, neighbor the predators.
Although, the feed through helped even though there are cows a quarter mile away and my place is an ex dairy.

 

Three sides of my barn are in the pasture so during fly season the horses go in shortly after daylight and go out towards dark. This means feeding them while inside. Each horse gets a small mesh hay net stuffed full and it lasts about 5 hours. The barn is kept as dark as possible which deters flies from entering. Heavy tarps cover the doorways. If there were windows those would be covered as well. I've wondered if it's nature's way of getting horses seeking shelter when the sugars in the grass are at it's highest.

 

Someone could have more information on the sadeness for horses on this, but...

Coconut oil and lemon juice (or tea tree maybe) works as a human repellent. And I know coconut oil can be applied via the mane and tail, but add lemon and add all over? I haven't personally tried it, but as I was reading up the uses for coconut oil, that popped up.

 

Interesting theory. Mine don't go into the shelter or the shade, for that matter, all day. They prefer sun and breeze. Come mosquito hour they run inside, for about half an hour, until mosquitoes are gone, then it's out again. It's a drylot, haynets outside, hay on the ground inside. Hay preference: oat hay, way above grass hay or alfalfa. I offer all three. Oat hay has the most sugar.

 

Feed through flie control fly traps and a dark barn for them too go into. Flie predators work i use too do them till neighbors got a huge herd of goats. They live right behind us our fence line is shared. So yeah i know all about flies even with the feed through and fly trap i stll have flys. Neighbors dont do anything for flie control so i get all their flies too. I"ll take flies over 26 to 30 below zero and highs only of 6 below zero thats what we have to look forward too this next week. Soo theres no bugs around right now to stinken cold.

 

Bag disposable traps and arg. lyme on wet areas, pick up poop.

 

I don't understand the natural predator thing. I hate flies but I would rather deal with biting flies than stinging wasps. Is that the compromise? I feel for you all cause I don't like any of em.

 

Fly predators are very small wasps that do not sting.

 

U can try garlize feed thurgh worked on hubby horse. Also tried this last year and couldn't believe the difference when u cook bacon keep grease and rub ur horses down w it won't hurt them and no more flies believe me it really works
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Wouldn't bacon grease be very messy and sticky? sounds really gross lol! But I guess if you eat enough bacon and it works go for it! How did you come up with the idea?

 

Is actually no messier then using swat. And its natural, were going green lol! Old cowboy trick
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Bacon grease to repel flys how can that work? Id think that would make your horse a nasty dirty mess. We ride in summer wouldnt want then covered in bacon grease YUCK.That stuff goes rancid and too have that on your horse i wouldnt use it sounds gross and too messy. Plus we dont eat that much bacon not healthy to have all that fat in your diet.

 

I wouldn't push it on anyone, but it does work. We obviously ride in summer as well, lol, there's no flies in winter. I can see how you're picturing it, and that makes me chuckle. A big greasy slime ball horse. It's not like that at all. We don't do the whole horse, just the areas that are really bothered. Chest, ears, tail base, legs and belly. At summer temps, the bacon fat is very liquid and easily stored and handled. Though it must be stored refrigerated. What's nice is we make our own bacon so it's just a byproduct and costs nothing.
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Mid January - Northern Alberta... Yup, they`re still frozen. :lol:

 

It's hard to think about flies when the weather here is like -20C. Not looking forward to their return either. Yuck!

 

Really not a mess I was scared but wasn't a mess at all. If u look up homemade horse fly apart or control u should find it .. If u think about it in summer cook bacon put grease out side no flys or nats will land on it it's interesting but really works
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Ok, tried the bacon grade. Actually worked good for the first two days then just had a greased horse. REALLY worked good the first day. I'll actually keep some for when I do my long rides in the national forest. Better than fly spray. Continuing the feed thru, getting the spray the neighbor has and just got some game chickens to keep the pasture clean.

 

I'm glad that worked for you garlize feed thurg is really good to but order now bc they sell out quick
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Sorry for the auto spellcheck. Tried Bacon Grease!

 

Start putting a small amount of apple cider vinegar in their drinking water...it will change the PH of your horses skin and make them not as appealing to flies! Fly preds are WONDERFUL!...I make my own fly spray...skin so soft, apple cider vinegar, water, tea tree oil..squirt of dove soap and walah...great homemade fly spray that works great and is more natural than the pesticides we buy! you can also add Citronella....

 

It's hard to think about flies when it's in the 20's (where I am at least). I give my horse smartpak feed through control and it works well for him.
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NEEM OIL!!!!!!!!!!

Get some Neem Oil, mix 2 tablespoons of Neem with 2 of shampoo and add 3 pints of hot water and wash that over the horses.

It doesn't spray easily as Neem will solidify if it gets to a cool temperature.

It really does work in keeping the flies away and last for some time.

The downside is that it stinks pretty bad! I am immune to it now as I use it a lot but it comes as a shock when you first smell it!

The same mix will keep fleas and ticks away from dogs and cats and, 2 teaspoons of Neem and soap to 3 pints of water sprayed on plants will keep plant eating insects, slugs and snails away from them.

It is also good used neat on wounds.

 

I use fly spray on them, and I use PDZ on their pee areas.

 

My mare has the lowest tolerance for insects I have ever seen! So, it is double important to me. And, I agree w a poster ^, bag traps and poop detail at least once a day...but I would add - managed manure bins. There is no flies around now (winter), but w that approach we have no more flies in warm weather than w/o the two horses (I know this to be a fact, b/c they have been away on pasture at times). You cannot stop "other sources" such as dog or deer pooh, dead wild animals, etc.,. It's about getting to a managable level. I use no insecticides - and encourage birds to come live on my property with lots of water and shelter. We get a lot of fly catchers, sometimes they have 3 rounds of offspring. They are amazing insect killers.