INSECT SEASON IS HERE Flies, Gnats, horse flies and mosquitos have returned in abundance due to all the rain. Many horses have allergies to these insects. Prevention and control are the focus because insecticides cannot do it alone and do not stop the production of flies hatching and multiplying. Sanitation Control Clean stalls and paddocks daily and remove any spilled feed. Apply baking soda to floors, wet spots, and on top of shavings in the stalls. It is nontoxic, reduces moisture, and changes the pH of the bedding which interferes with fly development. Deposit manure and soiled shavings some distance from the barn and have it removed every 4 days. You can cover the manure pile with a tarp to raise the temperature, making it hot and unsuitable for fly development. Twice a week, pick up paddocks and clean hay feeders. Scattered hay mixed with urine or feces makes an ideal breeding ground for flies. Remove standing water from tires, buckets, and unused water troughs where mosquitos and horse flies can breed. Physical Control Using fly masks, fly boots, and flysheets help give your horse relief. Cover manure filled muck buckets or wheelbarrows with tarps or feed sacks to prevent flies from laying their eggs there. Make sure your stored feed is covered and pick up any spilled feed. If your horse is allergic to gnats or mosquitoes, keep them in the stall at dawn & dusk when these insects are active. Fans in the barn discourage flying insects. The 20” high velocity commercial grade circular fans mounted on stalls really move the air, unlike box fans. Use a large drum fan in the barn alley way to blow the flies out. Fly traps or tape can reduce the adult fly population. Specific flowers planted around your barn can help. Asiatic Lilies or Bearded Iris attract dragon flies which feed on mosquitoes. Marigolds, Sunflowers, and Geraniums attract mite eating ladybugs which eat midges and chiggers. Biological Control Fly Predators are beneficial insects that lay their eggs in the fly pupae, inhibiting their development. These gnat sized flies are shipped by mail in the cocoon stage. Sprinkle them monthly on fresh bm manure, manure piles, or wet hay/manure areas. Barn Swallows make those unwanted dirt nests in the eaves of your barn or house, but they eat flies! You probably want to keep them and their nests around year after year. Chemical Control Insecticides kill the flies and repellents drive the them away, preventing them from biting. Most fly sprays contain both chemicals in them. Oil based sprays last longer but can irritate the skin. Water based are washed away with rain or sweating but are gentle on the skin. Residual pesticides are sprayed on the surface of walls of the barn and have some lasting effect. Fly spray systems kill flies when they go off but have no lasting effect. Bait products have an insect attractant and an insecticide. Scatter bait in fly congregating and breeding areas or on empty feed sacks on the barn floor. The bait can knock down large numbers of flies in a short time. Feed through chemical products target developing flies in the manure. It is effective if you have a few horses and no neighboring cows or horses around you. It contains a chemical which is formulated to act in the horse’s manure rather then inside the horse when fed. It prevents the development of fly larvae exoskeletons so they don’t molt or survive to become adults and multiply. Fly control starts with sanitation and includes all of the above for controlling fly numbers. Gnat Allergy in Horses If your horse is rubbing the top of his tail or mane bare, it is due to itching from a gnat, midge, or no see um bite allergy. It is not a fungus, so stop with the fungus shampoo. The insects are biting the other horses too but they are not allergic to the bites. The gnats bite at dawn (6am) and at dusk (8pm). It is important to apply a gnat repellent daily at those times to prevent the horse from getting bit. Fly spray does not work on gnats. You must use Repel or Deep Woods Off with Deet. Skin so Soft, MTG with Sulphur, and IBH ointments and sprays also repel gnats. Cortisone shots and anti-itch antihistamine powder help break the itch cycle and give the horse relief. Feeding your horse Flax seed supplements will help the skin. The Culicoides gnats and black fly allergy starts in May and will end with a hard frost in November that kills the gnats. Ticks It is tick time too. Check the soft skin areas of the horse for ticks such as the inside of your horse’s ears, sheath. udder, and underside of the tail. If your horse suddenly won’t let you put the bridle on, check for ticks and gnat bites on the inside of the ears. Mosquitoes With all the rain, mosquitoes are here. Be sure to spray or apply an oily repellent at night and early in the morning to keep your horse comfortable if he stays out in the pasture. Make sure his annual West Nile and Encephalitis Spring vaccines are current. Horse Flies There is no truly effective repellent for horse flies. The oily products like Wipe, Natural fly sprays, or skin so soft seem to work. Apply in the morning and especially at dark when the horse fly is determined to get a blood meal from a horse, so it can survive another day. Your hand works well to kill them on the horse or a direct hit with Pyranah horse spray. Castration Signs: June 11-17 If you are planning a castration, call the office now to schedule an appointment. It will soon be too hot then you will have to wait for cooler fall temperatures. |
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