Mixing multiple insecticides for fly-spray?

[opposomiac]

I can’t find anything online about this, it’s a difficult topic to research.

Obviously I can use a single insecticide, like permethrin 10, but is it safe to mix that with another insecticide, like “PestXpert Pyrethrum PBO Plus”? both insecticides claim they can be used on livestock, and can be mixed with “other insecticides”, but I can’t find any detailed information. It’s all vague.

I’ve also heard that you can increase the lifespan of your flyspray by adding sunscreen. What could I buy to add to my flyspray which would act as a sunscreen??

Ok, I know, I can just buy ready-made flyspray… but it is SO EXPENSIVE!!!

And forget just using one of these insecticides, both my horses are INCREDIBLY sensitive to flies… They both wear fly-masks and fly-sheets, and that just isn’t enough for them. They both get sweet-itch on their bellies from the flies biting at them… I just want them to feel better… But I can’t afford to spend $2 per day on fly-spray. Right now I use a permethrin pour-on every two weeks and Bronco fly-spray every day, it just isn’t enough.

[DinkyDonk]

I use Espree natural fly spray 6 days a week; it supposedly has sunscreen in it–all I know is it works better than the other “natural” fly sprays I’ve tried that don’t have sunscreen. If you buy the gallon size concentrate on sale (just bought a gallon from Smartpak on their 4th of July 20% off sale), the price for a reconstituted quart is about $2.25. I also spray my horses with Martin’s 10% permethrin concentrate, diluted per instructions, once a week to keep ticks away. Martin’s has virtually no smell, so I add a couple of oz of Jeffer’s citronella oil to add some anti fly smell to it. I’ve been doing this for years, no bad reactions from any of my 5. A gallon of the Martin’s permethrin, diluted, makes 32 gallons of spray, and at $60 a gallon for the concentrate, that makes a quart of the diluted product less than $.50 each plus the price of the citronella oil (2 oz per gallon adds about $2 per gallon of diluted ready to use spray, so final price of permethrin spray w/citronella is about $1 a quart). Cheap enough for me.

[Simkie]

Take a look at branded fly sprays–for example, Pyranha has permethrin, pyrethrin and piperonyl butoxide. So yes, those ingredients can be used together. Watch your concentrations and carrier, and spot test your horse before spraying all over.

[JB]

What Simkie said :yes: Many sprays have multiple ingredients.

FWIW, Bronco has never done squat for me. I think the flies get hydrated on it :rolleyes:

Ultrashield Black has always been the most useful product here - YMMV. I tried Pyranha Wipe N’ Spray - less effective than Ultrashield, though several friends a few hours East of me rave about it. One friend on the coast SWEARS by SmartPack’s Outsmart spray - flies laughed at it. I recently got a bottle of Endure - moderately ok, I hate the smell. I went through a couple of mixes of 3/4 Endure + 1/4 ACV to see if the ACV would help, it didn’t.

If you’re not already feeding flax, start adding 1c whole (or ground if you want to do that) and see if it helps their sweet itch. It could be useful to add MSM too, 20,000mg to load up for 7-10 days, then 10,000mg daily if you’re seeing improvement

Also, check out the enormous Neck Threadworms thread and see if that’s a potential issue for yours.

[firefoot]

I think the effectiveness of certain fly sprays really depends on your area. Where I am, the Pyranha oil-based spray is the only thing that seems to work. I have a bottle of the black Ultrashield and it’s useless. Same with Bronco. But I’m sure in a few seasons, I will have to switch sprays because the flies get resistant.

I recently (like, today) added neem oil to my spray and I think it will be very helpful. Last year I used the Equiderma horse spray with neem oil and it was amazing, it just didn’t last more than a few hours. Great for riding. But I’m hoping that adding the neem oil itself to an oil-based spray will help extend it’s effectiveness. Neem oil is what gardeners use to keep pests off plants.

As for the bellies, my horse gets serious bug belly and I alternate smothering his belly in MTG and swat daily. It helps a lot. Swat is cheap and MTG goes a long way. I also put it in the top of his tail every couple weeks if I don’t remember to wash it well.

I also second the suggestion for flax. Mine is on 2 cups a day since the fall and I’ve noticed a big difference in his skin since last summer.