| Fly Predators By Lalita Creighton |
Like every horse owner, I want to reduce or eliminate flies on my horses. Since our horses
live at home with us, the problem is even more personal. Our pastures are not very big,
so manure management is an important part of fly control. I also don't like using a lot of
chemicals as I don't think it's healthy for any of us, including the wildlife and I don't want
my ground water contaminated.
Sticky, messy traps are annoying, and some smell terrible if you have to bait them. Frankly,
why would I want to invite the flies in to be trapped? I'd rather get rid of them before they
even become adults. Therefore, this year I tried fly predators as a safe, natural way to
reduce the fly population. My husband and I both have been very pleased with how few
flies we see out in the barns, the pastures, and in our house. We still use fly masks on our
horses because these predators do not completely eliminate the fly population.
The fly predators are actually very tiny nocturnal wasps that do not sting people or animals.
They are shipped in pest fly pupas (where the eggs were laid) and when there are about
10-15 little wasps visible in the bag, release them by sprinkling them on or near fresh
manure. They will travel up to 300 feet so you don't have to be precise. Once released,
the female fly predator will lay between 1 and 7 eggs inside the pupa of a pest fly. She then
ingests the liquid contents of the pupa, which is the developing pest fly. In her lifetime, she
will produce between 75 and 100 eggs.
Fly predators are easily killed by pesticides, so do not use a premise spray. You can use
repellants on your horses without killing the predators, but move them away from areas
with manure before doing so. I find I only need to spray our horses if we're hauling them
off our property. Birds and ants also like to eat the fly predators, so make sure to release
them away from ant hills.
Also, fly predators have a short life cycle and as mentioned above, are predated by birds
and ants. You will need to continue to release more predators through the season,
approximately once a month. It is best to release the first batch slightly before you normally
start seeing flies, and continue releasing them through the entire season until there are no
more flies.
Fly predators do not do anything to control the populations of flies or other insects that lay
their eggs in water, such as deer flies, horse flies, or mosquitoes. Pest flies can travel or a
distance of a ¼ mile or more so if you live near property with other livestock, you may
continue to see more flies than you would otherwise.
Cost per shipment starts at around $18.50 and is based on the number predators you
purchase per month-which of course depends on how many animals you have. I purchased
my fly predators from Spalding Laboratories. No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.
http://www.spalding-labs.com/home.php
live at home with us, the problem is even more personal. Our pastures are not very big,
so manure management is an important part of fly control. I also don't like using a lot of
chemicals as I don't think it's healthy for any of us, including the wildlife and I don't want
my ground water contaminated.
Sticky, messy traps are annoying, and some smell terrible if you have to bait them. Frankly,
why would I want to invite the flies in to be trapped? I'd rather get rid of them before they
even become adults. Therefore, this year I tried fly predators as a safe, natural way to
reduce the fly population. My husband and I both have been very pleased with how few
flies we see out in the barns, the pastures, and in our house. We still use fly masks on our
horses because these predators do not completely eliminate the fly population.
The fly predators are actually very tiny nocturnal wasps that do not sting people or animals.
They are shipped in pest fly pupas (where the eggs were laid) and when there are about
10-15 little wasps visible in the bag, release them by sprinkling them on or near fresh
manure. They will travel up to 300 feet so you don't have to be precise. Once released,
the female fly predator will lay between 1 and 7 eggs inside the pupa of a pest fly. She then
ingests the liquid contents of the pupa, which is the developing pest fly. In her lifetime, she
will produce between 75 and 100 eggs.
Fly predators are easily killed by pesticides, so do not use a premise spray. You can use
repellants on your horses without killing the predators, but move them away from areas
with manure before doing so. I find I only need to spray our horses if we're hauling them
off our property. Birds and ants also like to eat the fly predators, so make sure to release
them away from ant hills.
Also, fly predators have a short life cycle and as mentioned above, are predated by birds
and ants. You will need to continue to release more predators through the season,
approximately once a month. It is best to release the first batch slightly before you normally
start seeing flies, and continue releasing them through the entire season until there are no
more flies.
Fly predators do not do anything to control the populations of flies or other insects that lay
their eggs in water, such as deer flies, horse flies, or mosquitoes. Pest flies can travel or a
distance of a ¼ mile or more so if you live near property with other livestock, you may
continue to see more flies than you would otherwise.
Cost per shipment starts at around $18.50 and is based on the number predators you
purchase per month-which of course depends on how many animals you have. I purchased
my fly predators from Spalding Laboratories. No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.
http://www.spalding-labs.com/home.php
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