Top 10 Tips for Effective Fly Control
- Stable your horse if possible at dawn and dusk when flies (especially midges) are most active.
- Place screens across stable windows and doors.
- Eradicate standing water from your horse’s field if possible, and give any marsh or lake land a wide berth when out hacking.
- Clear any manure heaps or rotting vegetation daily, and keep them well away from your horse’s stable.
- Use overhead fans inside the stable –this will deter midges who are too weak to fly in breezes.
- Offer shelter for your horse when turned out – whether this comes naturally from trees or from a field shelter. Many horses use shelters more in the summer to get away from flies who tend to prefer full sun.
- Protect sensitive areas directly – apply an oil-based formula for lasting protection.
- Spray your horse’s stable walls with insecticide and put up fly papers to discourage insects from lingering.
- Test a variety of repellents to discover what is most effective for you and your horse. There are a wide variety available, including sprays, creams, leg wraps, tags and bands.
- Try a garlic oil feed supplement. Various studies have shown that the sweat produced by horses fed with a garlic oil supplement contains an odour that can repel flies and biting insects.
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