Feed Thru Fly Control- Time To See Difference *mid season*?

[Well_Worn_Bridle]

Hello,

It has been years since I have logged in to the COTH forum- it is so nice to see some familiar names still active!

I am logging in today because I am losing the Battle of the Flies 2020, despite using every trick I have thought of (manure management, masks/sheets/fly boots, sprays, SWAT, and SimpliFly). I checked with my vet, and she felt it was safe for me to start my ponies on a Rabon-type feed through. I am curious if anyone here has started feed through fly control products mid season, and if so, how long did it take for you to notice a difference in the number of blankity-blank little beasts?

I live in South Central PA, where we have had an especially wet summer so far (or it feels like it, anyway). My pony with four white stockings that extend over his knees and hocks, and he is just being eaten alive on the exposed white, no matter what I have tried to put on him to repel the flies. He has lost some condition since the flies got really bad. If you have any product suggestions that you have had particular success with, please drop them below as well. Thank you for sharing your time and experience!

[Simkie]

The lifecycle of the stable fly is about a month, according to google…so I’d expect it would take several weeks to make a dent, starting now. And you’re up against the summer swell, so…maybe no dent?

This thread might be of interest. It really does work great for me. It is very low cost and very low risk. Rabon is pretty scary :eek:

[DinkyDonk]

For my 2 with white legs (they are fly magnets!) that will get bitten bloody when the flies form a blanket on them, good old oily WIPE (liquid, not the spray) keeps the flies off for about 8 hours. Stinks to high heaven, but works. I apply with a microfiber car wash mitt (wearing a nitrile or vinyl glove under it) from the dollar store. The mitts hold the liquid great, and they are soft, non noisy applicators so great for applying on faces and ears. I store the mitt in washed out plastic coffee can between applications so dirt and dust don’t collect on it.

[Well_Worn_Bridle]

@Simkie

The lifecycle of the stable fly is about a month, according to google…so I’d expect it would take several weeks to make a dent, starting now. And you’re up against the summer swell, so…maybe no dent?

This thread might be of interest. It really does work great for me. It is very low cost and very low risk. Rabon is pretty scary :eek:

Thank you for the link, Simkie. Added those to my shopping list, as well as the Wipe DinkyDonk suggested (that smell ought to bring back some fond memories!).

I realize that rabon is serious stuff… that’s why I asked my vet if it was okay to use (specifically, with my two ponies, at their respective ages and health conditions). She felt that it was, so long as I complied with the label, of course, and gave me a list of symptoms to be on the lookout for that would be potential warning signs/of concern. I feel like the problems being caused by the flies are, at this point, more serious and problematic than the potential for harm by using a rabon product. I do have a call back to her to ask about another product, also labeled for horses… it is called Altosid, and if I understand correctly, it is NOT an Organophosphate like rabon, but protects against the same sort of flies. Sort of a crossover product? As you can see, I don’t know a whole lot about it, so please do not think I am recommending it(!)… I just found an article about it online and it mentions using it for horses (by the manufacturer), so I called to see what my vet thought. When she gets back to me, I will try to remember to update here.

[Atlas_Shrugged]

I started my three on the Smartpak version early Spring and so far so good! Private barn and manure is on cart that is away from the barn and dumped weekly- So far very very few flies - not sure it it is the season or if the stuff is working but my best guess is that is is a miracle wroker

[fjordmom]

Have you tried predator wasps? They won’t be an immediate knockdown. It will take time to interrupt the fly breeding cycle and they don’t control all types of flies. I have used them a a major part of my fly management for years and am very happy. You might want to consider them going forward.

This has been a tough week here too; warm rain followed by hot, humid, not breezy days. I usually see a flush around this time and double up on my predators to get things back under control. I also hand a number of those smelly trap bags. It’ amazing how many you can trap out.

To give my one sensitive horse more protection for his legs, I put a pair of cut off tube socks under his fly boots and roll the top of the sock over the top of the fly boot. That has really helped when he would bite his sweet itch bloody. Pretty much clears up the bites (and prevents more) within a week. You will have to check and adjust the socks daily. I usually do it at turnout and turn-in. I leave them on 24/7 and it works fine. they can be a bear to stretch over his hoof to put on but the results are worth it.

Be prepared for another fly flush mid to the end of August. That’s another time I double up on my predators. It helps control the overwintering larvae so our spring and early summer is nearly fly free.

[Montanas_Girl]

If you’re already using Simplifly, then you are already using a feed-through fly control product. I wouldn’t expect Rabon to add any significant benefit.

[artisticgold]

Try the rescue fly bags as well. They capture hundreds of house and stable flies! I also use fly predators and Equitrol, and there are very few flies on the horses. Now if someone would just invent something good for horseflies!

[gypsymare]

@artisticgold

Try the rescue fly bags as well. They capture hundreds of house and stable flies! I also use fly predators and Equitrol, and there are very few flies on the horses. Now if someone would just invent something good for horseflies!

They do! Works for green heads and giant B52s

https://esc.rutgers.edu/fact_sheet/the-greenhead-and-you/

OP, I’m on my 3rd year of using feed through and the first year the infestation was AWFUL and took at least 6 weeks until I noticed a big difference. Last year was significantly better. But this year? It’s amazing. 99% reduction. My horses are so much happier!!

Fly predators never worked well for me.

[Snowdenfarm]

@artisticgold

Now if someone would just invent something good for horseflies!

And this for the non-DYIers: http://www.bitingflies.com/

[Simkie]

@gypsymare

Fly predators never worked well for me.

Predators were always “meh” for me until I stopped spraying fly spray in the stalls. Once I made a serious effect to stop poisoning the bedding, they’ve made A HUGE difference!

Not sure if you might have something similar happening, but it was such a “duh of course” moment for me that it’s worth sharing :lol:

[gypsymare]

@Simkie

Predators were always “meh” for me until I stopped spraying fly spray in the stalls. Once I made a serious effect to stop poisoning the bedding, they’ve made A HUGE difference!

Not sure if you might have something similar happening, but it was such a “duh of course” moment for me that it’s worth sharing :lol:

That may very well have been my problem! The feed through works so well though that it’s not worth trying predators again.

[Wyndwolfe]

I live in Georgia, where there are a lot of flies as well as other annoying insects for 10 months of the year. For 20+ years, I have used fly spray, and SWAT with good success. This year, however, the flies were really annoying my TB rescue mare (17+ hands, and resembling a fire breathing dragon if you attempt to touch her ears), so I needed to try something else. I use several Horse Tech products, and decided to try their Buggzo, and I am very impressed. It has made a huge difference.

[lorilu]

My guys get a feed thru (Solitude), and just the other day I noticed there are very few flies in the barn, and event he fly traps on the fence line have few flies in them. That was not the case a few weeks ago - I guess the life cycle timing finally caught up.

[SashaBast]

@Montanas_Girl

If you’re already using Simplifly, then you are already using a feed-through fly control product. I wouldn’t expect Rabon to add any significant benefit.

Rabon controls different flies…