I’m going to regret saying this but the flies in general in Bucks County seem to be nowhere near as bad as they were at this time last year. Also, using US black for the first time and really impressed. Not thrilled about price but if it continues to work this well, I’ll suck it up. And delighted that the sprayer hasn’t clogged permananetly, which is my experience w three other brands.
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The sprayers for the UltraShield Black are the best!
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US black is my typical go to, I feel like it works better than most, at least in my area. 
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Not a spray but I have gone to the clear Swat instead of fly masks. We have a mare who is prone to allergies that flare and her eyes get watery, itchy and swollen. Even though I washed her masks it just seemed to contribute to her flare up being harder to get under control.
I have gone to Swat and just apply it around everyones eyes and down the nose and cheeks/ jowls and they have zero flies on the face and it lasts 24 hours easily. The mare has had few flare ups but when she does they clear so much faster.
A little container lasts a long time and no masks to look for in the pasture… I wish they made a spray.
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How thickly do you apply the Swat on her face? I think I recently read that a problem with Swat is that it works for a few hours but once time has passed its residue actually attracts rather than repels flies… I’m not aware of whether this is accurate but on a different note — we’ve noticed that Swat isn’t as effective as it used to be on the whole. We wonder if they’ve even changed the “recipe.” It’s that different this season.
The greenheads have come out as of this week. UGH
I use Swat on my horse who reacts to what I thought were flybites.
I spot it on thinly most places, but if it’s down to skin, smear on that area.
Only on his neck & under his jaw, so I’m now considering an allergy to something he’s grazing on in my pastures.
For that I’m going to see if Zyrtec (generic) helps.
The Swat dries & stays on for a couple days & does seem to give him some relief from the itchiness, as well as keeping flies off spots he’s rubbed raw.
I was gifted an ancient jar of the pink Swat from a friend & bought the new white stuff last Summer.
That needs replacing soon, so I’ll see if this year’s batch acts differently.
I still remember the first time I saw a horse with pink “Swat goggles” at the barn when I was a kid. LOL.
I try to keep some (not pink) on hand because it is good for keeping gnats and flies away from wounds and sores, etc. I’ve used it on my guy occasionally at night. I can’t leave his fly mask on at night because his neighbor and he like to “horse around” at some point under the cover of darkness and my guy’s fly mask usually winds up in his neighbor’s pasture. A few have been destroyed in these shenanigans and I’m not able to keep replacing them. So, he goes naked faced at night and by morning his eyes are a little runny with some gnats, but I wipe them off and don his fly mask for the day. He’s an Appy, so I’m very fussy about his peepers.
Side note: I ordered a gallon of Out Smart to replenish my supply and for whatever reason, it seems so strong to me this time. Nearly takes my breath away while I’m spraying him. I still like it, but I’m going to order some of the Equiderma fly repellent next for his “everyday/natural” spray. Tri Tec still wins for “serious business” fly spray for me.
I just scoop out a small amount on my 2 fingers and just distribute that all around the eye and then rub it in and put the excess down the face and on their cheeks. It works well for mine and flys are awful this year.
With fly masks their masks and uncovered face parts would be thick with flies. Nothing on them now.
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Pyranha (yellow bottle), black Ultrashield. This year I’m adding a “glug” of ACV. Shoofly boots for the win. I tried the Professional Choice knockoffs, but they’re not as sturdy. YMMV
I tried Ecovet but apparently it’s known for causing migraines in people. Thought the first time was random, then got 2 more and put the bottle away for good.
Oh wow… that’s a thing?? I get migraines… and I have used Ecovet here and there over the last two or three years. I can’t remember if during that time I developed a migraine soon after using it, but if I did, I probably would not have made the connection, if there was a connection. So I don’t know if it affected me that way.
I actually just bought two bottles for this summer but now I’m paranoid. Maybe I should double mask plus wear gloves 
The flies at my place are terrible this year and picked up some Ultrashield yesterday and what a game changer! For hours now I see my horses at peace! Thank you!
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Since my gelding won’t keep his fly boots on I bought some expensive fly spray. I can’t remember what it is. Black bottle, supposedly kills 70 species of bugs and expensive but it really works. Our flies were awful in June but really not too bad this month even with hot, humid and wet weather.
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Ecovet is effective and nasty smelling. Pyrahna (sp?) also effective but seems to draw dust so when I spray on my fleabitten grey it ends up being black spots. I try to only spray her legs for riding (the rest of the time she wears shoo fly boots).
I’ve tried the SmartPak stuff in the past, that’s the Out Smart I believe it is?, and it caused a slight burn on my black skinned grey evident by her flaking skin. That was a few years ago but I don’t believe the formula has changed. Shes not a sensitive type - has never had any other reaction to anything I use on her in 14 years. Just something to look out for if using it. It was very mild but 100% from the spray.
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Ecovet works great for the black flies and deerflies here, which are usually our worst offenders. Yes, it smells weird. This year we are inundated with biting flies that look like regular house flies. Is “regular” fly spray like Ultrashield better for the biting flies?
Just curious if anyone knows if there is truly a difference between the Farnam brands Endure, Tri-Tec and Bite Free. They all have the same active ingredient list. I usually use Endure this late in summer and into fall. Chewy lost my order though so I got Bite Free in a pinch but all 3 appear identical. Hopefully the Bite Free will work until my dear hubby (even going through chemo) trucks over to TS for the gallon of Endure.
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Bronco Gold has the exact same ingredients as Pyranha and its like $10 cheaper.
Out of curiosity I looked at each label to see the concentrations of each ingredient. They are all exactly the same. Why Farnam needs 3 fly sprays all wearing different names is beyond me, lol.
That’s bizarre.
I had some analysis paralysis on Amazon yesterday when I realized I was completely out of fly spray and desperately needed some. So I just ordered some UltraShield Black, which is not my usual but we’ll see.
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