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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 599
   
| I think fly eggs exploded today all over my farm. Horses are MISERABLE! I have a few ideas in mind, but what works best for YOU to control flies?? |
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Ms. Dr. Phil
    Location: My happy place | I use Predators and order from Spaulding. They do work but I still have a few flies. My house/barn/pool are together so fly control is important and I have used for 10 years, I'm scared not to order. My Blacksmith says I don't have flies, but I wash windows. However if you have a lot of horses I have 4 and don't pick your stalls, you will have flies. You buy according to how many animals if your neighbor or you have cows close it's $$$. Cows draw more flies than horses around here. I hate flies. |
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 Lived to tell about it and will never do it again
Posts: 5408
    
| We tried the fly preditors and didn't get along with them. When I called and canceled they told me that I wasn't getting enough of them. With our situation of horses and cattle I'd go broke using them. I get along best with the fly spray that comes in the yellow gallon jug. Also those battery operated fly spay despensers work pretty good in the stalls unless it is really windy. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1076
   
| Not trying to steal the thread but I am interested in ideas as well... I board so no fly predators for me... Fly spray is not touching the flies though. Even Pyranha. I spray my mare and within seconds flies are all over her again :( |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
              Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | This works really well for me and the horses, but they are not stalled they have large pens they stay in at night and turn out during the day, but the fly's are not bad here at all since they are in a open area. |
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 Lived to tell about it and will never do it again
Posts: 5408
    
| Southtxponygirl - 2020-03-19 9:00 PM
This works really well for me and the horses, but they are not stalled they have large pens they stay in at night and turn out during the day, but the fly's are not bad here at all since they are in a open area.
That is the yellow jug that works best for ours |
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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
     
| A good fly spray I like to use is B free of Flies .... it's very effective but like everything else it only lasts so long..I try to turn out mid morning after spraying him down... put him in a fly mask and as soon as my fly boots get here he will have those. Flies here seem worse in the afternoon/early evening and hes up in the barn with fans by then. I hang fly strips in the barn and that's about all I can do. They are awful already .... and relentless! |
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 Horsey Gene Carrier
Posts: 1888
        Location: LaBelle, Florida | I have chickens which really help on keeping any manure spread in the pasture (fly nurseries). I also, have bug spray misters (country vet type) in each stall, in the chicken coop, and on the side of the barn that the cows come to for grain. While it is dry I have been wetting down surrounding barn areas and in front of stalls to keep dust down. I also use the Pyrahna fly spray, although I have to be careful on my mare as she will scald with it. I feed the horses garlic as well. I have found the bug misters really help with keeping the area mostly bug free so the horses/cows can at least rest without being pestered. |
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Nut Case Expert
Posts: 9305
      Location: Tulsa, Ok | Starbar Quickstrike Fly Abatement Strips. I buy them at Tractor Supply. You hang them close to the floor near where animals eat and tend to slop or drop feed. I cleaned up piles of flys under them every day in my barn during fly season. Best thing I have found. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1600
   Location: Shawnee OK | I use the Ultrashield Fly spray in a black bottle. It keeps ticks off as well. Keeps ticks off for at least 2-3 days.  |
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"Heck's Coming With Me"
Posts: 10793
        Location: Kansas | Early in the spring you get what I call the biting flies which are a whole different breed from the normal barn flies. They are extra hard to control, don't often take the bait as far as fly traps. After a while they disappear and are replaced with less aggressive flies but dang they are miserable. They even bite people and the dogs. A good fly spray is all I could get to work and it doesn't last long. |
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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
     
| I wanted to share... I went out on a limb and ordered a natural fly spray from Ultra Cruz I also got the flea/tick/mosquito spray for my dogs to try, even though they are all on frontline.. figured it wouldn't hurt to repel. I'm pleasantly surprised at the effectiveness of this stuff! Especially on my horse. Hes white, so I can easily see where hes been being bit by these nasty blood thirsty flies. He always comes up with a few blood spots on his legs and belly. Yesterday I sprayed him down with the natural stuff and when he came up 4 hours later no blood! I noticed he wasnt stomping or swishing as much either. It's not perfect but I really feel it was pretty effective.... it's very inexpensive and it smells nice! Almost reminds me of those clove cigarettes that use to be popular lol! I will still use the heavy duty chemical stuff but not as much.. I dont feel bad spraying him down with this stuff . It was a good alternative for sure! |
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     Location: Not Where I Want to Be | euchee - 2020-03-19 9:33 PM
We tried the fly preditors and didn't get along with them. When I called and canceled they told me that I wasn't getting enough of them. With our situation of horses and cattle I'd go broke using them.
I get along best with the fly spray that comes in the yellow gallon jug. Also those battery operated fly spay despensers work pretty good in the stalls unless it is really windy.
That's because they don't work Ultra Boss is the correct answer. It doens't control them completly but it works better than anything that I have found. |
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Sparklin Cowgirl
Posts: 4379
       
| What has really helped us was getting a manure spreader. That's the biggest game-changer for us on the fly control front. We got a small one that we can pull behind a lawnmower or the Gator. I think that really helped with the number of flies. I think you have to find a combo that works for you. The spreader plus the "fly predators" have helped at our farm. I also use barn fly sprayers inside the barn. It helps. There are several other farms in our area that have horses and cows so fly control is a challenge. |
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