I would like some clarification on whether or not concurrent use of fly predators (Spalding) and a feed through fly preventative (Solitude IGR) is worthwhile. Spalding says that it is but Google
says that a IGR reduces the effectiveness of the fly predators. Anyone on here who can answer this question definitively?
The label of the IGR I use specifically calls out that it does not affect fly predators. I use Nygard:
I can’t find a similar label for cyromazine, but this page says it doesn’t harm predatory wasps.
You might consider spraying your pile with an IGR instead of feeding one–it’s a LOT cheaper.
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@Simkie do you just do a light spray over the entire manure/compost pile? How often? What about solid surfaces like run-in shed walls/mats?
I have been “watering” every wheelbarrow load that I pick from the drylot with BTI “tea” before I add to the manure pile. I just bought some NyGuard to see if I can further reduce fly reproduction. Label seems to indicate it can be used inside/outside with long lasting effects.
“the use of feed through Insect Growth Regulators will not harm Fly Predators. The fly life cycle happens in 4 steps: egg, larva, pupa, adult. IGRs can be used as part of a complete Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. IGR’s such as Solitude, Altosid, and others, work by disrupting the larval stage of flies (maggots) when the larvae consume enough of the IGR. Any fly larvae developing in breeding sources not containing IGR (such as discarded hay) or in areas where the IGR may get diluted (manure piles) would not be affected by the IGR. Fly Predators attack the pupal stage of the fly and do not eat manure themselves, so they are unaffected by the IGR. Any fly larvae that survive to the pupal stage have not consumed enough IGR to be affected, making them a safe food and reproductive source for the Fly Predators.”
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I spray the manure pile, aiming for every couple weeks but probably hit it once a month or so. Sometimes I spray the clean bedding in the stalls, to sort of “pre treat” it before it goes out into the pile, but really not often. I’ll also do the chicken coop & run.
I’m not sure if there’s value in spraying stall surfaces. I aim for places where flies are breeding.
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Is this spray stuff harmful to good bugs like fireflies, ladybugs, bees, butterflies?
IGRs in general are pretty specific. You’d have to check the label for what you’re using to see exact targets.
The Nygard label is linked at the site above. Here is the summary of targets from that same site.
“Crawling and flying insects such as ants, cockroaches (American , German, Asian,and Brown, Brown-banded and Smoky Brown), crickets, fleas, gnats,flies (House and Stable) and mosquitoes , moths. Stored product pests such as Cigarette Beetles, Confused Flour Beetles, Crickets, Darkling Beetles, Dermestids,Hide Beetles,Litter Beetles, Indian Meal Moths, Lesser Grain Borers, Merchant Grain Beetles, Red Flour Beetles, Rice Moths, Sawtoothed Grain Beetles, Tobacco Moths and Warehouse Beetles”
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I searched it and it is harmful to fireflies which have a long larval phase,
Do they spend that larval phase in the manure pile?
Well we spread our manure after it’s composted, so it’s a concern for me. I am just devastated by the loss of butterflies and bees etc (and birds for that matter) in my lifetime, and I just want to make sure I don’t contribute to it. I do still have fireflies, and I don’t want to harm them.
Which is not at all unreasonable.
It’s definitely important for everyone to consider how the insecticides they use impact more than just the flies landing on their horses.
In my case, my manure pile sits and composts generally for about a year. I only use nyguard on the fresh poop. After that it’s moved to a finishing bin, turned and sits for ~ 9 months. Any IGR is WELL and LONG degraded by the composting process, the heat of the composting process, and UV light, before it leaves the manure pile/composting area.
You may manage your manure in an entirely different way. However, if you’re spreading finished compost, you are also very likely giving any IGR time to degrade.
In my setting, targeting coverage like this directly to the compost pile, which also allows me to use less total chemical, is a far better solution than feeding an IGR to the horses, where they can deposit that IGR anywhere, in areas that might be far more sensitive from a non target insect perspective. Someone else may have a very different scenario where the reverse is true.
I use a lot of different angles to control flies and other nuisance pests. Strategies range from very targeted to not, but I lean harder on strategies that are targeted–like hosting the barn swallows, who eat just a TON, to fly predators, to fly traps, to manure management, to fans and sheets and fly boots. In the middle are things like Nygard, which are targeting very specific areas and specific insects. Then there’s non specific, like fly spray, which I use as little as possible. I even keep fly spray out of my stalls entirely, because I’ve found it to make my fly predators a lot less effective if it gets into the bedding. (If you’re concerned about an IGR being spread on your fields and impacting your insects, you may also want to keep the pyrethroids out of your bedding, too.)
All to say: what works, and what does not, and what has potential to harm non target insects vs not, is very dependent on how exactly those products are being used, and where, and what happens to the substrate they’re used on.
you could search for the name of the chemical and “half life” and likely find out what you need to know.
