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  • latest reply 6 years ago

6 years ago

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Tis the season, maybe a bit early, but here in Southern Indiana, the flies have gotten my horses stamping their feet and shaking their heads.

Our local farm stores all seem to carry the same common brands of spray. I think a few of them are nothing more than fly candy, and none of them seem to be effective after 2-3 hours.

Does anyone have a favorite brand (or home brew) that really works for more than a couple of hours?

BrianL says 2017-04-17 08:41:56 (CST)



I don't think there's a commercial fly spray that's ideal. The key is eliminating the flies before they hatch. We keep ducks and let them free range. They seem to do a good job in keeping the fly larvae numbers down since the ducks seem to know where they're lurking. Some folks swear by those fly predators. We've used them in the past and it's difficult to say whether they do any good or not since there's no metric for comparison. (I will say the ducks find the fly predators a delightful snack.)

Then there's my unscientific method, wherein every morning and every night during peak fly season, I use the fly swatter in the barn and methodically kill as many flies as I can in fifteen minutes. My wife says I'm nuts and look like a crazy person stalking through the barn swatting flies. But I think it helps. If you kill one hundred flies, that's one hundred flies that won't breed. We also put out those fly trap things, but I can do more with a fly swatter in a few minutes than the trap does all day. But it's a war of attrition.


6 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Klaus Karbaumer says 2017-04-17 20:30:42 (CST)



I use a mixture of vinegar and Skin so soft oil, but like you said it only helps for a couple of hours. At least I don't use any chemicals on them with the risk of irritating the skin. But I keep the barn dark and the horses have access to the barn through a narrow door( as I need to collect the manure anyway for my operation). There they stand motionless for hours at the darkest corner in summer and only come out when they are hungry or for work, of course.


6 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

vince mautino says 2017-04-18 09:11:30 (CST)



Switch your salt to sulphur /salt blocks or loose . IT doesn't stop them completely, but sure helps.

These products like Fly Predator don't do a good job if you have close neighbors that don't use it too


6 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Ralph in N.E.Oh says 2017-04-18 11:50:25 (CST)



I have used this homemade spray for a number of years. Like Klaus says, it lasts a couple of hours, depending upon how much they are sweating. You can wipe it on or spray it on. I choose to spray. Just a few spritz on each horse, sprayed the direction the hair lays works pretty good.
40% Pinesol
40% water
10% Dawn dishwashing liquid
10% listerine mouthwash

We use 24 oz of Pinesol
Then 24 oz of water
followed by 6 oz of Dawn
Then 6 more oz of Listerine
This makes about a half a gallon. We spray it on as needed

When gnats or misquitos drive them crazy. I wipe skin so soft in their ears and around their muzzle. It seems to help with those pests.

Lastly, a tablespoon of cider vinegar mixed with their feed twice a day beginning April first for us, seems to help too.

I will also say that some of the best advice is to keep the manure cleaned up so the fly larva have no place to thrive is a big help. Ducks or chickens make a big difference when allowed to free range near the barn, stable and dung heap. I just can never keep the scratching wizards out of the wife's flower beds...so I work with the flies...happy wife...happy life!


6 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum


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