What we hear from most of you is that it is still the basics – removing manure from the property as regularly as possible and cleaning stalls at the minimum every week. This activity is highly effective in breaking up the fly’s breeding cycle.If you don’t remove the manure from your property, choose your pastures for spreading fresh manure carefully. Try not to spread manure in pastures where you’ll keep horses during fly season. Always spread a light layer.
Make sure your automatic barn sprayers are serviced before the fly season starts. Also, don’t delay application of the fly parasites and don’t let the manure get ahead of you early in the season.
Another solid practice is by providing your horses access to open, breezy pastures that can help keep flies at bay. Properly fitted horse masks are highly effective in keeping pest flies out of their eyes and protecting from “pink eye.”Standing and dripping water contribute to ripe fly breeding habitats. So, check faucets, pipes and waterers for leaks, and when you repair them, fill in the puddles and try to drain low lying areas.
Be sure that your UPS or Postman understands that your deliveries are perishable. If you need us to send your shipment to an alternate address for good handling, let us know and we’ll update your shipping plan. Be sure to release your fly parasites in fly breeding habitats as soon as you can after receiving them. That means 24-48 hours after you receive them for best results.
You all mentioned sprays, roll-ons, gels, shampoos that create a barrier to flies. Active ingredients can include insecticides that are natural or synthetic that repel flies. These types of products come in a variety of brands and are easy to find at farm stores or your favorite tack store.With lower-priced products, apply daily or directly before riding. For higher-end products, apply every five days to two weeks (see product labels for specifications).
Recommend the Organic Cowboy to a friend or neighbor, and when they order, we’ll send both you and your friend an extra order of fly parasites. Email friends@organiccowboy.com and let us know who you referred and upon their order, we’ll ship a bonus order to all.