This would work if I had a spreader, or more than one paddock ;(
Got it. FYI, my spreader costs less than I would pay to have someone come haul my manure away a year, or what it would cost me in labor to turn, load and spread it myself.
I seem to have solved this issue.
I had a container of frontline spray I use on the horses for ticks with vet blessing. The active ingredient–fipronil–is not approved for use in horses, but is very safe.
Fipronil is also commonly used in baits, and as a premise spray for termites and carpenter bees. It is generally safe and persists in the environment for less than 30 days. We actually had the barn treated pre horse with it for carpenter bees.
I put a light coating on the gate where flies like to gather and moved the horses until it dried. Then I put grain and cat food in a bucket and covered it in a thin coating of frontline.
As of this morning 90% of the flies are gone.
So that’s good.
Yes, I am in my 15th year of using Spaulding Fly Preds and they work wonderful for me. There are no flies. No stomping. No fly spray needed. Im 120 feet from their run in and manure pile. I have not seen one single house fly all year. None. Believe me, on my very meager income I do not buy products that don’t work. I did not experience the same results with Arbico Fly Eliminators. But I just can’t say enough good about Fly Preds, what a damn difference they make.
I’ve tried to be careful with fly spray so as not to kill my predators BUT my biggest problem has been deciding where to sprinkle my predators each time I get a new package. This is my first year using them and I must be doing something wrong (placement) because once August arrived it’s like the predators are useless! Same amount of flies as in previous years.
I do feed Solitude which (according to Spalding) isn’t a no-no when using predators, so my fly problem isn’t as overwhelming as it could be – but flies do seem to be everywhere now that late summer has arrived. I feel like I’m wasting my money on the predators.
Where do you sprinkle your predators for the greatest success? And…how many packages do you get for the number of horses you have and how often? Spalding determined I need one package a month for 5 horses. Seems like this isn’t enough???
Plus I’m wondering if all the (almost daily) torrential rainstorms we’ve been having are killing off the predators?
@WaningMoon – can you chime in on this too?
I’m using fly predators once a month in my compost pile and it’s awesome. I occasionally spray the horses as they might get a few flies on them and I have a hanging attractant on an unused gate. I’m so incredibly impressed with this system. Very few flies. My concern is with the large horse/deer/stable fly. I have one of my three horses bitten by those probably once a week. How do I get rid of those?
I sprinkle the bulk of mine in the manure pile, and save a few handfuls for other areas like under the little trailer where the chickens like to congregate and a few places around the coop. Anywhere you think flies might be breeding.
But this rain + warm sunny days has ABSOLUTELY = a boatload more flies. I think they’re breeding just about everywhere, versus just in the manure pile. My predators did really well all summer, but this last batch I just put out didn’t make much of a dent 
I don’t think it’s a problem with the predators, though…just that we have a LOT of flies entering the population.
oh it is just the people who sell the predators, they have your address so they send shipments of flies out to make sure you still need the predators
We have seen an uptick in the fly population after the recent rains also. Appears that we have gotten them back under control by letting the stalls remain uncleaned after the overnight use…then fly sprayed the horde of flies that were present
Hijacking- do feed thru fly controls like Solitude help with mosquitos?
My fly situation hasn’t been terrible (fans in the barn really do work). But the mosquitos have been out of control. The horses get so agitated in the evening that they get running unless brought into the barn. But I hate the idea of leaving them all in every night in the summer.
I think Solitude only works on flies. It’s a manure thing. Different breeding habitat than mosquitos.
But YES the mosquitos are terrible this year here in NY too – due to the amount of rain/humidity. My horses are covered in bites by morning and they don’t dare leave their sheds/fans at night until it’s well after dark. But now that the B52’s, greenheads and regular horseflies are gone my guys are out grazing during the day – until the regular flies find them,
Whew…at least it’s not the predator’s fault…or mine. Bad summer weather!
Next year I’m going to invest in a couple of those H-Trap horsefly traps or the Horse Pal trap – the black beachball gizmos. On second thought I might try to make one first – seems like an easy enough DIY project – the ready made ones are pricey!
I am in NY and have had absolutely 0 issues with mosquitos, possibly because I have frogs and fish in my pond. If you have standing water near your property I recommend throwing some of those mosquito rings in there–they’ll kill the larvae.
Fans in the barn & loafing shed help tremendously! The moving air makes it less appealing for flying critters to be in the area. I also spray my barn with Ortho Home Defense about every 6 weeks, or when I notice bugs returning.
Manure is as far away from the barn/loafing shed as possible, and I drag the pasture when there is rain in the forecast (helps break it down.)
Oh, duh! I think I knew that before about Solitude working through manure, which obviously wouldn’t do a darn thing for mosquitos.
I wish I could say the B52s, greenheads, and horseflies were done here! But they haven’t been too terrible… the mosquitos, on the other hand, have been unbearable.
I didn’t have B52s on my farm in Tennessee. They were around, especially in higher horse traffic areas, but for whatever reason, I never had any on my farm. It was heavenly. My poor Tennessean donkey didn’t know what to do with herself when she got here and these flies almost as big as her started attacking!
