A new fly trap to add to the stable fly battle:
I am almost curious enough to buy one!! Sure would be nice to find something that WORKS against the biting flies!! Anyone have any luck with home made traps, etc.?
Fly predators have been working for us for years, for the kinds of flies those address.
People that come ride in our arena are amazed that we don’t have flies all over like everyone else does, even with cattle right across the fences.
Maybe consider adding that and see if it works for you, along with traps and other for other kinds of insect pests?
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I use the Victor Gallon stinky traps… I’m sure thats to the name… but its the kind you have water and mix with the package of stinky stuff and hang out side. They are reusable and I’ve found them to be the most economical. I’ve tried other packets of bait and the Victor seems to work the best… I catch thousand of them… when its prime season the gallon containers fill up with flies fast. They do stink, so you can’t really keep them in the barn area, but i hang them up all around the pastures. And they are gross to change out… but usually I just get a construction strength garbage bag and dump them in and throw the whole thing away. Supposedly its none toxic and you can bury them or even feed to your chickens, but Its easier to just dump them and i don’t have chickens.
I would love to try the fly predators, but there is a 200 head dairy farm to our east and a 4000 head dairy farm to our North. So i just feel like it would be a waste of our money.
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Here feedlots and dairies have fly predators in every barn and alley.
They then have fly bait around any sheds and buildings for those flies that survive the predators.
They have very little fly problem.
For our pasture cattle, they get a pour-on insecticide and fly eartag at the start of the season and that also helps with flies.
I would ask those dairies about their fly control, they may be able to tell you what they use and if any of their flies may bother you what to do for that on either end.
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My biggest fly problem is actually the deer fly. I don’t think that the fly predators are effective against them. But the web site of this knight stick claims that it does attract deer flies… Anyone know about this?
Well I ordered one Friday. I will see how it works. I have never had much luck with fly predators here ( I think it is too damp and humid). I did put in a fly system in the barn and that helps in the barn but not as much when the horses are turned out. And I have GNATS! This trap is supposed to attract no-see-ums so I hope it will attract gnats too. We will see!
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Please keep us posted!! Thanks for being our COTH Guinea Pig!
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Where did you order one from, I didn’t think they were quite for sale yet, just coming out?
Do report, would be nice to know there is more, better out there.
Bugjammer.Inc.
Thanks!
We use dynatraps at home and they are amazing at trapping all the bugs. We put it up as soon as we see one bug, with the hopes of maybe trapping them before they start laying too many eggs.
Mine arrived yesterday! Will report back in a bit, the flies are just getting started. I ordered from the manufacturer on eBay and it shipped free and quickly.
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I set mine up Saturday afternoon. I have lots of flies and gnats stuck to it and will probably have to put on new sticky paper this weekend. I set it on my manure spreader and it attracted the flies off the manure. Whether it attracts enough flies to affect the fly population remains to be seen. It does seem to work better than fly bait and is a lot safer. Works faster than the stinky traps and smells a lot better:D. I haven’t turned on the fly system yet so I will see this weekend if it has lowered the fly population since it is the only control I am using right now.
I will keep using it but the jury is out if I will purchase a second one.
Any updates on these new fly traps!! I keep hoping that somehow, someday there will be no more flies!! (Well, I know that’s crazy thinking! But less would be better!)
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Not an update but a suggestion. If you want to use an attractant/ 'cide to get rid of flies and the liquid baits are too stinky and/or too likely to spill for you, try using a bit of Golden Malrin in your trap. I’ve used it for years and less then 1/2 cup in the bottom of a trap (gallon jug or whatever you use) catches lots of flies and has really put a dent in our population of stable flies.
Our worst outdoor problems are greenheads and mosquitoes, and nothing much seems to get them, although we put out greenhead traps.
While intriguing, (and I’ll almost try anything this year, the flies are so bad!) isn’t this a newfangled version of the old sticky trap? I understand it works better because of color/resonating, etc, but aren’t there still the concerns with bats, small birds, beneficial insects (bees, etc) getting stuck on accident?
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My Knight Stick fills up in about a week with gnats and stable flies. I have not seen any bees, bats, birds, green heads or dive bombers stuck to it. It is not a substitute for the Pyrhana fly system but does seem to get the flies that are outside the barn.
Back in the bad old days Golden Malrin fly bait used to attract and kill flies. I have tried it in the last few years and it didn’t seem to attract very many flies. Plus I had to worry about an animal getting into it and getting sick/dead. It did kill a possum once - I found Claude the possum dead face down in the bait. Not saying the bait killed him but it was very suspicious. I also hate the gagging task of taking out the over-ripe stinky trap and putting it in the garbage. This is a tool in the arsenal for me.
The flies were miserable yesterday. They were drinking up the metered fly spray in the barn and laughing with glee. I just bought two knight sticks and fly predators. Will report back.
