Breeze Flies Archives - EquiGroomer Horse and Pet Tools

Welcome back to the second part of How to Get Rid of Biting Summer Flies!

Our last post focused on one of the most common biting flies, the horse fly. In this second part, we will continue to look at how to get rid of biting summer flies with natural repellents and more!

Flies, Flies and More Flies!

What exactly are horse owners up against when it comes to flies in hot summer months? A variety of flies that bite, draw blood and irritate and annoy both you and your horse!

Common flies (beyond the horse fly we discussed last time) include:

Stable flies
Black flies
Deer flies
Sandflies and biting Midge Flies

Why are flies such a problem for equines? Flies can:

Carry and spread diseases.
Cause allergic reactions.
Cause infections.
Create digestive issues.
Chip or break your horse’s hooves from continuous stomping to get rid of flies.

Fly Prevention: Best Practices

Prevention is critical since a single fly can produce up to 1,000 flies in less than a month! Using a combination of fly control options will offer the best results. Below are 6 best practices for your horse and barn.

Strict and regular sanitation protocols will help decrease and discourage the creation of fly populations by keeping your barn odor- and ammonia-free.
- Address fly breeding and larvae hatching by regularly eliminating potential moist or damp areas where flies prefer to lay their eggs including:
  - Manure in your barn, yards and fields (which offer breeding places and constant food sources).
  - Decaying plant waste (i.e., rotting logs).
  - Damp straw, rotting hay and moist soil under hay bales. Consider replacing straw bedding with rubber matting to reduce overall barn moisture.
  - Use moisture-soaking materials and/or absorbent bedding in all stalls.
  - Regularly spread out both manure and stable bedding so it dries out quicker.
  - Drain all areas where excess water/rainwater gathers and pools.
Regularly treat all stable surfaces (sides of the barn, stall surfaces, fences and piles of manure) with a reliable fly control option or an insecticide, pesticide or larvicide.
Protect your horse from flies with sprays or dusts. Use oil-based fly sprays that remain effective longer (water-based products usually offer shorter residual effects). When applying, be careful around sensitive areas like your horse’s eyes, ears and muzzle. For the safest application, spray onto a washcloth first and then gently apply or use a roll-on product.
Use and regularly replace fly traps/flypaper.
Always securely cover all open food and garbage containers to avoid attracting flies.
Turn off all barn lights at night to prevent insects from being attracted to the light.

Click here for the Amateur Equestrian article, “Top 23 Ways to Eliminate and Protect Your Horse and Barn from Flies this Summer”

Fly Prevention: 5 Options

So how do you get rid of biting summer flies already in your barn, tack room and paddock?

Fly Predators to prevent fly eggs from hatching
Supplements containing garlic, such as SmartPak’s BugOff
Fly sheets to not only protect from flies but also UV rays
Wondercide Natural Bug Repellent Spray
SWAT Fly Repellent Ointment for trouble spots where flies tend to congregate (under the chin, on the chest and around the nose)

Fly Protection: 5 Natural Options

Prefer to use natural fly protection for your horse? Try these DIY options below!

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

Not all vinegar is created equal when it comes to effectiveness and nothing is as effective as unpasteurized, organic apple cider vinegar. Just fill a spray bottle with ACV and spray down your horse for natural fly protection. If the smell bothers you or your horse, dilute with a 50/50 ratio of water.

Commercial Natural Fly Sprays
- Absorbine UltraShield Green Natural Fly Repellent (contains essential oils and guaranteed to last up to 8 hours)
- Animal Legends Flicks Horse and Pet Spray (concentrated and biodegradable)
- Equisect Botanical Fly Repellent Spray (contains botanical and essentials oils including citronella, clove stem and thyme)
- Calm Coat Natural Repellent (concentrated with citronella, eucalyptus and other botanical oils)
Lemon Juice (bugs hate it!)
Avon Skin So Soft (smells great and is a DEET-free bug deterrent for your horse and you!)
Natural Fly Spray for Horses by Savvy Horsewoman (uses essential oils to deter flies, mosquitoes and other insects)
- 16 oz spray bottle (use amber-colored to preserve the essential oils)
- 1/2 cup witch hazel
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100-150 drops of a Bug Repelling Essential Oil Blend

- 100-150 drops of any combination of the following oils:
  - Citronella
  - Eucalyptus
  - Lemon Grass
  - Peppermint
  - Cedarwood
  - Lavender

Add all ingredients into the spray bottle and fill to the top with water. Shake well and spray on horses and riders as needed, being careful to avoid the eyes and nose. Store in a cool, dark place.

Looking for more DIY, Natural Horse Fly Sprays?

Click here to go to the Cowboy Way website for 3 easy recipes!

“Whisking” all sweat, excess soap and water from your horse is easy for maintaining their coat’s best condition with our innovative WaterWisk!

Our EquiGroomer tools make grooming your horse easier, stress-free AND pain-free!

Order individual EquiGroomer tools or professional kits for your pet shop, tack shop or barn, by calling 860-573-0604, sending us an email or visiting our website today!

Additional Reading:

Texas A&M University: Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences: Shoo Fly … Don’t Bother Me!

Savvy Horsewoman: How to Get Rid of Flies Naturally

Stable Management: Reduce Flies on Your Horses and Property

Amateur Equestrian: Top 23 Ways to Eliminate and Protect Your Horse and Barn from Flies this Summer

Horse and Rider: Fly Control Options for Horse and Barn

Image Credits:

JacLou DL from Pixabay

Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay

Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay

Wolfgang van de Rydt from Pixabay

Bragg.com: Apple Cider Vinegar

CowboyWay.com

Product Image Courtesy of EquiGroomer

Summer means annoying flies! Learn more about how to get rid of biting summer flies.

This post will take a closer look at one of the most common biting flies, the horse fly. Horseflies are known to annoy livestock, dogs, horses and even humans! Keep reading to learn more about the horse fly.

The Obnoxious Biting Horse Fly

The horsefly is a large, bloodsucking fly with a stouter body and exceptionally large head. Since males have weaker mouthparts, they do not bite. They act as pollen and nectar collectors.

In contrast, the females can easily bite with a mouth that can pierce and cut the skin with scissor-like jaws and then lap up the blood flow to help them reproduce.

The horsefly is also referred to as the:

Gadfly
Cleg (or Clegg)
Breeze Flies
Bull Dog Flies (in Canada)
March Flies (in Australia)
Green-headed monster because of their prominent compound, iridescent eyes

Horse flies:

Are inactive at night.
Are most active in full daylight with no wind.
Are attracted to:
- Movement;
- Moisture; and
- Carbon dioxide from their prey.
Will chase and attack dark moving objects.
Live in areas that are humid, warm and near bodies of water (for breeding) where livestock and other mammals graze.
Are mentioned in literature as far back as Ancient Greece in driving men mad with their single-minded persistence and tenacity!

The Life-Threatening Bite of the Horse Fly

Since the female horsefly feeds on the host’s blood, they can easily transfer blood-borne diseases and parasites from one animal to another one. This includes the Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) or Swamp Fever. This horse disease is caused by the EIA virus transmitted by biting and bloodsucking flies. Once EIA-positive, equines are infected for life.

While horse fly bites are painful for humans, they typically heal on their own with few side effects; serious and unusual reactions are not common.

Make Your Own DIY Fly Trap to Get Rid of Biting Summer Flies!

All you need is 4 simple items!

Protect Your Horse from Biting Summer Flies

So how do you get rid of these pesky, annoying – and even dangerous – horse flies to protect yourself, your horse, dog and livestock from their insidious bites?

Products like fly masks, ear nets, fly boots, fly mesh sheets and repellent tags, can help protect your horse from biting horse flies. A powerful fan in barns can also help discourage horse flies as they do not like the wind. Flytraps are also a common way to address the problem of horse flies.

Disposable fly traps work the best at trapping horse flies with the added attractant which gets activated by sunlight and water. The attractant lures them into the trap where they eventually drown. A single trap can effectively catch up to 20,000 flies over several weeks before they need to be replaced.

Another simple – yet effective – DIY trap for horse flies uses an empty coke bottle plus rotten meat!

Take a coke bottle and cut off the top about 1/3 of the way down from the top with a knife.
Drill a 1 cm hole in the bottle cap.
Put some rotten meat with some water in the bottom part of the bottle and insert the cut upper part upside down into the bottom part of the bottle.
Seal the edges with tape to seal and hang near infested areas.
The smell of the rotten meat will attract the horse flies to enter through the hole in the bottle cap but they will not be able to escape.

Courtesy: https://wiredsmart.io/

Looking for other DIY trap ideas for getting rid of horse flies?

Click here to go to the Flies Only website!

Follow our blog …

for the second part of this important topic with a look at other biting summer flies and the natural repellents you can use.

Regularly grooming your horse helps maintain their coat and gives you the opportunity to look for – and treat – fly bites.

Our EquiGroomer tools make grooming your horse easier, stress-free AND pain-free! It’s the perfect gift for the horse lover and owner!

Order individual EquiGroomer tools or professional kits for your grooming shop, tack shop or barn, by calling 860-573-0604, sending us an email or visiting our website today!