Basic Fly Control

Flies are an unwelcome part of summer and bother humans and animals alike. Unlike humans however, livestock do not usually have the luxury of access to a virtually fly free environment. Even more troublesome than the nuisance factor for the individual animal is the fact that flies can pass on disease agents and spread bacteria such as, Shigella and Escherichia coli, both of which can cause severe health problems when inadvertently consumed by humans.

Insects often become resistant to insecticides, and flies are no exception. Nonetheless, there are labor saving methods, which should deliver the insecticide to the appropriate place at the right intervals. You may consider using selective commercial methods, depending on the type of fly you are targeting and your particular livestock species. Such methods include:

Dust bags
Backrubbers and oilers
Insecticide impregnated ear tags
Fly masks
Spraying
Insecticide delivered through feed
Oral larvicides
Pour on treatments
Powders

You may also feel that through the use of pesticides that you have replaced one problem for another; pesticides can destroy the fly’s natural enemies too and can be environmentally unfriendly. There are steps that you can take to reduce fly infestations and combat flies without resorting to pesticides. Flies are attracted to unsanitary conditions. Therefore do not give them an opportunity to gain a foothold by practicing good sanitation management around the farm:

Secure your garbage in plastic bags to reduce odor, wash garbage containers, and dispose of it regularly.
Dispose of any potential fly breeding sites such as, rotting straw, loose straw, spoiled grain, mulch, leaves, manure, and animal waste.
Cover compost heaps with black plastic.
Do not leave moist pet food outside.
Remove and dispose of fallen rotten fruit.
Dispose of animal carcasses promptly.
Watch for nearby road kill and arrange for its collection or disposal.

Excluding flies totally from buildings is difficult to nearly impossible. Nevertheless, there are measures that you can take to minimize fly infestation:

Pay attention to doors and windows and fit good screens.
Fill cracks and crevices with caulking.
Look at ways to prevent flies from entering vents and electrical outlets.
Ensure screen doors open outwards; double doors are best if fly populations are heavy.
Consider using fans.

Excrement from your livestock is a paradise for flies. Manage your manure and you can help manage the flies:

Collect solid waste from buildings and compost it until it can be used on the fields.
Keep your pens and stalls clean. Pay particular attention to clean-down pens, drainage areas, stalls, feeding aprons, and remove any other rotting organic material every ten days.
Pump any liquid waste into holding pits for later use.
Spread and spray manure during springtime and/or after the fall harvest.

For the flies that remain, there are other methods:

Fly swatters are effective against individual flies in buildings.
Fly papers and sticky fly traps are particularly useful at controlling house flies. For maximum effectiveness deploy traps on porches, garages and in small storage buildings.
Vacuuming - Flies are attracted to light, attract the flies to a bright door or window in a dark area and simply vacuum them up.
Commercial electric light traps can be used in the home; larger traps are effective for farm facilities. Although expensive, the investment is worth while if sanitation is important.
Baited jug traps when placed near potential breeding sites, with any breeze blowing from the trap to the breeding site, are especially effective against blow flies; such traps can have an effective attracting range of up to 150 ft.
Commercial traps for horse and deer flies are effective when they are deployed along the edges of woods, next to dug outs, shelterbelts, barns, and livestock pens.
Employing a fly’s natural enemy to work for you is effective too. The use of predators, parasites, and pathogens is widespread; chickens and ducks are known to be useful for fly control on livestock farms.

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