Look Up In The Sky. It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane…
No, It’s A Horse Fly!
Imagine that worldwide, there are 3000 different species of horse flies. Fortunately, here in North America we have to contend with only 350 of these pesky little buggers!
Horse flies are active in hot weather, mostly summer and autumn, during daylight hours. Most species prefer a wet environment, but dry weather does not deter their presence in your backyard barn.
Female horse and deer flies feed on the blood of cattle, horses, mules, hogs, dogs, and other warm-blooded animals. They are vicious, painful biters! These flies cut through the skin with knife-like mouthparts and suck the blood. Once the wound is open and the fly flies away, in comes the secondary feeding insects. Many of these flies are potential disease carriers and continue to threaten the equine population.
Reducing or controlling the insect population in and around your barn and corrals involves many different strategies:
- Fly Predators (tiny insects) sprinkled around manure feast on young flies in the pupae stage, thus killing them before they grow into tough biting adults. It is completely natural, but timing is crucial.
- Feed-Through fly control is added in daily doses to your horse’s feed. This method, although ingested by your horse, does not harm your horse. It is excreted in the manure, where flies begin feeding on the treated manure. This treatment prevents development of adult flies and they eventually die.
- Fly Spray insecticides applied regularly to a horse kills or repels adult flies. This method only affects adults.
- Barn Fly Systems emit a fine mist through a nozzle stationed in the rafters of your barn at set intervals. The entire barn receives an application of insecticide.
- Tapes and Traps also stationed throughout your barn lure flies into a bag or bottle or to a sticky substance.
- Fly Sheets and masks outfit a horse with lightweight mesh material that keeps insects off. Keep your horse’s clothing articles handy by storing on stall front blanket bars for quick and easy application!
Safeguarding your horse’s health, as well as his comfort, is important. You may need to try several methods to find the one that works best for you and your horse. Your horse will thank you in more ways than one!