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OMG the flies already!

Well. It’s so hot here that I think the biting flies died off some. I’m seeing lots of dragon flies too so that’s a big help. Downside is that we are all melting.

How hot is “so hot” ?

It’s been unseasonably hot here multiple times already this season (like 10-15F over normal) and I swear it just makes the biting things hungrier…

Actual temp was 98 today, heat index 110 plus. We’ve had almost of week of that, expected to continue through next week most days. Warmer than average for us here.

ETA: rains have been sparse with the current heat. That might also be a factor.

ETA 2: the current miserable weather is clearly my fault bc I posted another thread about passing on triple digit heat. Should have kept my mouth shut.

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The flys here have become WICKED - central Ohio. Like at 6am faces covered in them. I pull masks and leggins at night. My guy is thin skinned and has been rubbing his lower face (uncovered) on his Shoo Flys and shredded his skin. Put Desitin on to cover it today and just ordered the Cashel long nose. Curious what it will look like when I get home from work.

Summer is so much easier in some ways and so tough in others.

Aww poor guy. I ordered the long nose masks a few weeks ago and really like them. My horses look like they’re going to battle when they go out at night :joy: Fly sheets with hoods, shoo fly leggings, and masks with ears/long noses. Hey, whatever works, right?!

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It’s only a field study of one. Smearing an ample amount of Desitin on
a thin skinned nose and muzzle area not only soothed and healed that area but also NOT.ONE.FLY anywhere. So I smeared more Desitin while waiting for my long nose mask to show up.

That is worth reporting. :smiley:

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The flies have literally fled my area.

My horses are outside. It’s dusk. No fly gear no fly spray. Not a stomp or a tail swish. :woman_shrugging:t2:

Where are you? That is amazing.

FL! It’s unusual. Normally we get our share of bugs.

The bugs were bad earlier in the season. Then we had unusual high heat that was dry for a week or so but now back to regular hot and daily rains. :woman_shrugging:t2:

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My flies have left too. Not sure why but I did find that my fly system was going off every ten minutes. I am not sure how long it did that but it sure knocked back the flies. Add in triple digit DRY weather and my manure spreader is still being fixed so my muck tubs go to the far side of the pasture every day via tractor. Horses are OK with being outside in spite of the heat because the flies are not biting them.

I had an epiphany about my manure management because of the missing manure spreader. It seems the fly life cycle was shorter than my dumping cycle so I was breeding flies in the barn. Now that manure goes out daily because that is all I can cram into the tractor bucket whereas I was dumping every 2 to 3 days with the spreader. That has made a huge difference in the flies in the barn. I know the flies will be back but I am sure not missing them.

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