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| Grabbing a cool drink in the shade! |
What a relief that the weather
has taken a turn from stifling humid to refreshingly pleasant! I can finally
frolic with my pasture mate Hugme Christi without breaking a sweat. It’s even
pleasurable to graze out in the sun for a little while these days, since I
don’t find myself sweating off all of the coveted fly repellent my humans spray on me. Yes, we may
be experiencing the glorious beginnings of fall, but farm pests will be
sticking around for a while longer. If you haven’t been told all of the fly
control secrets yet, then let me give you a heads up for next year…
Have you heard the tip about
pulling out a weed from the root so that it doesn’t come back? Well it’s kind
of the same idea with flies; knowing were these buggers come from is half the
battle. Just like the common house fly buzzing around your home, the stable fly
annoying me in the paddock can also reproduce in manure and garbage. This means
that the only way to keep the fly population down is by keeping our environment
clean and
sanitized! This is all the more important because stable flies will travel
long distances from other farms to yours. Sometimes you might also encounter
the greenhead fly. This is the one that makes my head turn and tail whip! These
nasty flies originate in marsh areas and hover around our farms waiting for
their next bite. In order to research these pesky flies, professors at Rutgers
University created a box trap. It was so
successful that people started making them for their own farms, and they almost
completely wiped out their greenhead fly population! Take it from the horse’s
mouth… try it yourself!
Once you start to see flies
appear you must immediately take action to keep the problem under control.
There are many preventive insecticide and bio-control methods that prove to be
successful. I will rate my top three favorite methods (from experience) below.
1) Biological
Fly Control (or… the miracle method)
This method
introduces a “predator wasp” that attacks at the source, feeding on the fly
larvae population. The Rutgers University farm, for example, uses “wasp larvae,”
which lay their own eggs in the fly pupea essentially using the fly eggs as
sustenance and emerging as an adult wasp itself. In my opinion, whoever thought
of this is a genius! Now I can play in the fields or stand in my shed without
stomping my feet every three seconds, or waking up with flies in the corner of
my eyes! Yuck! The wasps don’t bother me or my humans and they are not
unsightly like hanging fly tape or makeshift milk cartons traps.
2) Insecticides
(or… the three out of five star method )
Fly sprays are
typically the first thing that humans think of when considering pest control.
But on hot summer days when there’s sweat or rain or a truly determined fly,
this method doesn’t stand a chance because the repellent is just wicked away.
Companies have made insecticides that are similar in application to putting
sunblock on for humans. For fly repellent, you can use sprays, misters, creams,
roll-ons, wipe-ons, clip-ons, you name it, they’ve got it! Yet, horses have the
same problem with fly repellent as humans have using sunblock; you have to
reapply every few hours for maximum results. This can turn into a tedious,
tiresome routine that usually lasts until the bottle is empty. One tip is to
look for the pyrethrin
ingredient in the solution. Overall, fly repellents get three out of five stars
for efficiency, cost and environmental impact.
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| Shoo fly...don't bother me! |
3) Masks,
Sheets and Other Horse Clothing (or… the frills method)
I find horse
clothing is somewhat used in conjunction with the insecticide method, and has a
similar success rate. Putting a first defense buffer between me and the flies is
a smart idea, but it had two downfalls. First, there are holes in it, which
means it’s already only half effective. Two, it increases my desire to sweat,
which creates another uncomfortable physical state and other potential problems
if not controlled. Face masks are helpful for giving my eyes a rest, but they also
decrease my instinctual desire to see clearly around me. This con, however, is
not vital because I am safe and secure in my pasture.
Overall, there are many paths to
take when considering fly control on the farm and you have my rating on the top
three. This is an issue that requires lots
of attention during the summer months, so although we’re just about to enter
fall, it’s not too soon to start thinking “fly control!” now! Remember to
increase your barn cleanliness and sanitation if the flies are having a party
at your neck of the woods. Remember, fly season doesn’t end until the first
frost! Good luck and happy planning!
Your pal,
Nelson
