Fly Control/ I buy bugs!

[heartofwisdom]

I read a lot about flies before spring because our barn is pretty close to our home and I HATE flies. I found fly predators as a natural prevention.

Fly predators live their entire life on or near manure piles and eat fly pupa or larve.

I'm reporting I 'm on my second month and it really works. We have almost ZERO flies.

Once a month receive a see-though packet in the mail. I wait a few days until the bugs crawl around (size of gnats). They I sprinkle the bugs and cocoons around the barn and my compost areas. Last year we had no horses and a ton of flies. I walked around with flyswatters all summer. No more!

I believe their are several different companies that provide them online. Its so strange getting bugs in the mail.

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[pepperhill]

I have heard some really good things about the fly predators. I was worried that my ducks, guinea hens and pea fowl would eat them all before they could do any good! Are they really, really tiny?

 

[Sonya]

I got them this year too. I'm on my third application and so far no flies, but it's still gets a little cold here sometimes, so we'll see. We had flies terrible last year. 4 minis, 4 mini goats, 10 chickens, 2 dogs. Lots of pooh meant lots of flies. Even though I pick up every terd I can find and dump it as far as I can from the house and animals (150yds), we still had lots of flies.

I was worried that my ducks, guinea hens and pea fowl would eat them all before they could do any good! Are they really, really tiny?

Yes, they will eat them. But they are nocturnal, so normally when our fowl are in their coop at dark is when the fly predators go to work laying larva. Place them a few feet away from your fowl pen (if not free range) and the fly predators will return to their home (originally where you put them normally) before daylight. The fly predators will lay their larva where fly larva is, the predator larva will eat the fly larva (fly larva eats pooh, predator larva eats fly larva), once the predator hatches, you will loose some to the fowl, but you reapply predators every 3 weeks so you will always be stocked up. The predator doesn't live very long, hence the 3 week applications. It will still help with the fly control problem even though some will be dinner for your fowl (ants and other insects will eat the predator larva and the actual predator too so you will lose some to other things also). They are probably a little smaller than a gnat. They don't fly very far from where you put them either.

With my amount of animals it cost about $15 a month for the predators, they will tell you how many you need. If you pay for the whole season (one payment) you will get a discount. I will get 8-9 bundles of predators (every three weeks roughly) from April to October and it only cost me about $85, so the one time payment helps, it gave me about a $30 discount. You have to start them ASAP, before your fly population gets too large or it will not work as good, so they say.

 

[Denise]

I love these bugs! This is my 3rd year using them and I wouldnt go with out them.

They really keep the flies to a minimum.

I like not having to spray the horses every few days with chemicals!

 

[MInx]

:saludando: Hi all, How are your guys Sonja? Yes we just got our second package yesterday. Must be they have us on later schedule due to a little far North. So far working pretty good I think although hard to tell yet.

Have seen a few flies but not many. Hauling all the poo Carl can but hard since our lane to compost area is flooded. He still cleans paddock but doesn't haul all way back yet so we

ll see. We think they will work fine.

Watching now for second batch of little fellas to start crawling

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Maxine

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

We've been using the parastic wasps for a few years now and are very pleased with them. The one year we did stop them early as we thought it was going to get cold - the worst flies in Oct/Nov! Never again!

We did switch this year to arbico-organics.com - they have a variety of organic predators to use instead of chemicals.