Biting flies

[Ben]

I'm a little surprised that biting flies are already lurking around. So far I'm just seeing one or two here and there, but it will get worse as it warms up. What do you guys use to protect your horses, goats, and other livestock from them? Last year I bathed them all in Dawn, vinegar, and water a few times after reading an article that suggested it. The residue left after rinsing them off was supposed to help, but it didn't seem to deter the flies much.

 

[OhSusanna]

I've yet to find a perfect solution, so I use a combination of methods. I've planted naturally deterrents like lemongrass around those the areas that they're most likely to be a nuisance. I keep some fans running where I can because moving air seems to help. I don't leave stagnant water on the warm. We muck out the stalls more often in the summer. We hang fly paper. I've read that adding apple cider vinegar to the water trough would make the animals less appealing to the flies, but my animals weren't keen to drink it.

 

[leon]

Flies have been around for many years, and now that they have adapted to the environment, it is not easy to win this battle. I always keep my barns and outside pens as clean as possible because they breed and thrive in manure. I have also heard of some supplements that act as natural insect repellents.

 

[RichZ]

In addition to the above, I always hang a bunch of fly traps in my barns.

 

[Skyline]

Fly traps should help indeed. The situation of flies isn’t very serious for me usually but it still can be a headache sometimes. I haven’t found the best solution yet but fly trap is something I’m doing

 

[RichZ]

Even lots of fly strips in the right locations help, as well.

 

[Ben]

I'm incorporating some of your ideas, particularly the fly traps and strips. I was afraid to use strips before because I thought a bird might fly into it or the strip might fall and one of the livestock would get into it. I found some that are super easy to secure though. I'll be shocked if they fall down or attract any of my animals. Thanks for the tips!