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are Equine
Infectious Anemia (EIA) and Potomac Horse Fever (PHF). The male species of
these particular blood-letters surprisingly do not bite or draw blood at
all........they instead survive on the pollen of vegetation. The females
have to have the blood meals to produce viable eggs and therefore
propagate their species. Both the horsefly and the deer fly deposit eggs
on vegetation around moist soil or very near water. The larvae burrow down
into this moist soil and mature into flies in the late spring. The
summertime is their time for immense activity.
Unfortunately,
there are over thirty species of "blood-letting" flies, and one
of the most pervasive of these is the stable fly. Both male and
female stable flies feed on blood, and their persistence in attacking to
get their meals is a huge source of irritation and aggravation to humans
and horses. Whereas the horsefly and deer fly are larger insects, the
stable fly is very similar to an ordinary housefly, just a little larger.
In fact, the stable fly has been called "the biting housefly."
The best way to control these pests is extreme sanitation in the barn and
surrounding areas.
These
insects lay their eggs in decaying fecal matter and plant wastes that are
usually plentiful wherever there are stabled or pastured animals. This fly’s
larvae can develop in excrement mixed with straw, hay, soil or grain.
There are many chemical controls on the market that will repel or reduce
the number of these pests, and these are good products for the most part,
but the very best and first step to fly control is keeping the stable and
barn areas clean.
A
nationally respected entomologist (a professional bug man) named Jim
Arends, who just happens to own horses, has a "Fly Checklist"
for keeping flies at bay:
*Muck
stalls daily
*Spread
manure away from horse facilities and harrow it into the soil
*Chain-drag
pastures to break up manure
*Scrub
water troughs weekly
*Spray
rafters and ceilings with residual insecticides
*Cover
feed containers
*Clean
up hoof trimmings
Of
course, no matter how extremely clean your barn is, the words "fly
control" in the south are an oxymoron. The south is simply too hot
and wet. We are a proverbial playground for insects, flies not
excluded.
Personally,
I like the fly spray for horses that smells like citrus. You can get it at
your local Co-op, and it seems to work as well as any I’ve tried and it
smells good to boot. I’ll spray my horse down with it, and then spray my
clothing with it also. It works really well.
Of
course, people have all sorts of preferences, and one of our readers wrote
me to find out if I know of any homemade recipes for fly sprays for
horses. Bettina Cunningham wrote that she had heard of a homemade fly
spray recipe using Avon Skin So Soft bath oil and eucalyptus oil, and she
wanted to know if I knew of any others. Bettina, the only other
homemade recipe I managed to find is one in a book by Julette de Bairacli
Levy called "The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and
Stable." In her book she explains a similar recipe to the one
you described........ "treat areas where flies gather by applying a
light rub of waste motor oil. Add a few drops of oil of eucalyptus per
pint for extra good effect." She also recommends rubbing strong wine
vinegar morning and night into the hooves and hanging up bunches of
elecampane, sage, rosemary and chamomile to help repel flies and
mosquitoes. Her rub recipe and your spray recipe sound like pretty much
the same thing, except the Avon bath oil sounds nicer and considerably
safer than old motor oil (especially be careful to avoid the eyes and not
get it in any feed).
Well,
summertime is here, and even though it is the fly’s most active time of
year, it is also the season where we are the most active. There is a lot
of fun in the sun to be had with our horses this summer.
I
know I’ll be picking up a new bottle of that citrus fly spray from my
local Co-op really soon. Whatever form of "fly control" you
choose to use, make sure you read the directions and use it safely.
Check with your local Co-op to find out more information on the year
round pest controls they have to offer, and try the citrus fly spray, you’ll
like it.
Once
again I would really like to know what horse people want and need to know
about their animals. Please feel free to send suggestions,
questions, and comments to the mailing address: Cooperative Farming News,
P. O. Box 2227, Decatur, AL 35609-2227, or fax: 256-560-2605, or
email jima@alafarm.com.
Janet
Bryant is a freelance writer from Oneonta.
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