It’s fast approaching that time again where fly control becomes a top priority for horse and ranch owners across the US and further afield. Whether you’re looking to protect your horses, or upgrade your barn defences, it’s important to do things correctly in order to provide yourself with the best levels of protection.
It’s incredibly important to defend yourself when fly season comes around. As we all know, flies can be an incredible nuisance, not just for horses, but us humans too! Dinner times become almost impossible, and it feels like a lifetime trying to make it through summer without an itch or irritation from these unwanted guests.
Not only do they tend to ‘bug’ the hell out of us (no pun intended), but they can also cause a whole range of diseases which harm our beloved livestock. For example, they target horses wherever they can, depositing bacteria and causing harmful complications in the process.
If you really want to enjoy your summer period this year and get ahead of fly season, then we suggest you reduce flies on your horses and property wherever possible.
Reduce flies on your horses and property
Reducing flies on your horses and property can be approached in different ways. You can either adopt a more aggressive approach, capturing flies wherever possible. Or you can adopt a more conservative play and follow a prevention strategy. Both are equally effective and have their own pros and cons. Let’s cover both sides.
Fly control options for horse and barn
If you’re leaning towards the aggressive play, then fly traps are your best bet when it comes to defeating flies. You can either create your own DIY traps or opt for store bought. The choice is entirely yours.
For small-scale infestations, DIY traps can be effective. Thankfully, there are plenty of options to choose from and are relatively easy to set up (even for those of us that aren’t the most practical!).
Depending on the type of fly you’re facing, it’s important to choose the appropriate trap. Therefore, we suggest you do your research on the type of fly species that’s buzzing around your horses and property.
If it’s fruit flies, then we know they’re attracted to sweet and sticky materials. Besides fruit, this type of fly loves wine, beer and soda. This means you can use these items as bait to lure the flies in before capturing and disposing from your property. The best place to start is a bottle trap. Depending on what you have lying around the house, take the bottle and cut off the top. Ideally, you need to leave a little liquid in the bottom to bait the flies towards the bottle. Place the bottle in an area where the flies are most likely to travel past and wait. If you cut the hole correctly, the flies will be able enter to drink the liquid, but won’t be able to navigate back out the top. This is pretty simple and cost-effective, but it’ll take care of fruit flies if the infestation isn’t too large.
You could also try the apple cider vinegar trap, equally effective and just as easy to create. Take a dish and fill with apple cider vinegar, then top with a little dish soap. Then, like you did with the bottle trap, place in problem areas and watch the magic happen. The flies will travel to drink the apple cider vinegar. However, the dish soap cuts the surface tension of the liquid, leaving the flies to sink and drown. Pretty neat right?
If it isn’t fruit flies you’re facing, then you should look at other options. House flies are another common guest that tend to pay us a visit during fly season. For these pesky critters, we suggest a slightly different approach.
DIY options are still useful. However, this is only the case if the infestation is small and easy to manage. A cool option at your disposal is the discoball trap. Take a clear bag and fill it with water. Tie the top and hang outside your windows or doors. When the wind catches the bag, it allows the wind to move the liquid, causing a light shimmer effect. Given the fact that flies have sensitive eyes, this will blind them, causing them to fly away!
You could also try flypaper. This is pretty old school but it still does the trick. You can either make your own or purchase from a hardware store. Place the flypaper in problem areas and be patient. Over time, the flies will land on the paper, but the adhesive will make it impossible for them to escape. Although this method is effective, we suggest removing and replacing areas with new flypaper often. Things can get pretty smelly and ugly if the flypaper is left unattended for too long.
Fly prevention
If playing it conservative is more your game, then that’s cool. We always say that it’s best to prevent the fly’s arrival in the first place, rather than playing catch up once it’s too late. Let’s face it, a few simple changes could be the difference between a good and bad summer.
In order to keep flies away from your property, it comes down to changing behaviours and living your life a little smarter. Regardless of the fly species you’re battling, some simple principles will help you to create a fly-free zone.
For example, keeping your property clean and tidy is the perfect start. Flies are usually attracted to rotting and fermenting waste. Therefore, keep areas clean and dispose of garbage appropriately. Don’t be lazy when it comes to cleaning up, it will pay off in the long run, trust us!
You should also aim to store food appropriately. Like we spoke about before, fruit flies love fruit and vegetables. Therefore, cover your fruit bowl and store vegetables in containers before eating.
You should also adopt this attitude towards your outside areas too. Whether it’s BBQ’s or outdoor swimming pools, KEEP THINGS CLEAN. This means keeping manure heaps away from areas where you need to live. In addition, you should also cut your grass regularly where appropriate. Flies love to breed in long grass and do so incredibly quickly too! This makes it paramount to interrupt the life cycle of flies and get the pesky things before it’s too late. From egg to adult, flies can be up and flying around in no time at all. Through reducing their breeding zones, this helps to maintain population size before it grows above your control.
Don’t just consider your living areas, these principles extend to your horse too. Purchase the correct clothing for your beloved horse and they will reap the rewards. Whether it’s a fly mask, fly boots or fly sheet, these will all pay dividends when it’s time to take the battle to the common enemy. Our only piece of advice is to purchase the correct sizes and don’t take a cheap approach. The more expensive clothing is usually the best. You should look for respected brands and purchase materials that will allow horses to breath and function properly. Let’s face it, we don’t like wearing uncomfortable clothing, horses are the same.
The Ranch Fly Trap
Of course, you can choose to play it safe or go all out to win the war on flies this summer. However, if the infestation is too big, then DIY traps and prevention methods won’t cut it. You’ll need a higher level of defence which is proven to take on fly problems of all shapes and sizes.
The Ranch Fly Trap has been developed to help farm owners across the globe win the war on flies and protect their beloved livestock. We’re sick and tired of flies ruining our lives and causing upset to horses up and down the country. That’s why we developed a product that is sure to be your guardian angel when times get tough. If you don’t believe us, check out the thousands of customer reviews we have via our website.
‘’I am amazed how well these traps work. My horses are fly free now. Best fly traps around. I highly recommend this product!’’
‘’I have raised livestock most of my life and have used all kinds of different products for fly control. My house is located across the fence from a friend of mines horse operation and the flies have been overwhelming. I ordered your product because of the reviews. It has worked MAGICALLY!!! Outstanding product and I would HIGHLY recommend. West Texas approval.’’
If you’re wanting to learn more about flies and the threat they pose to you and your property, then visit our blog. You’ll find a whole range of educational resources, designed to help you become more educated on all things flies!
You’ve seen the feedback. What’re you waiting for? It’s time to defeat fly season for good. The health and happiness of your animals should never be left to chance. Shop the Ranch Fly trap here.
