Best Fly Spray?

[Shannon]

My poor gelding is getting savaged by mosquitoes, and the fly sprays I have are not doing anything. He has welts over his entire body.

Anyone have a good product they can recommend?

[Laurierace]

Deep Woods Off or just the 40% DEET spray in the camping section of Walmart.

[LKR]

We have gnats here, something terrible. What works for them? Does spraying the ground do any good to get the population down?

[Shannon]

We are absolutley thick with mosquitoes right now, worst batch in something like 15 years. ANs my poor TB is just one big lumpy welt. SO far nothing helps for more than a few minutes, even sheets with neck and belly bands aren't keeping them off. Never had to deal with gnats...but they used to us something I think were called smudge pots...burning something smoky. But likely bad for lungs, eyes and environment

[Jean]

Anyone used the pennies in a bag to keep flies out of barn? No one has any cures for gnats? Terrible problem in barn? Driving horses crazy rubbing!

[foothillsequine]

Yup, we use pennies in the barn--works great. We also use a feed through fly control product that is incredible, along with fly spray. However, the feed through has reduced our fly issue by at least 90%. Ammonia (we like the lemon smell) on a cotton ball, and just swiped on the legs, and belly works very well for the other "critters". I do remember living in Canada and gnats are without a doubt, horrid tiny creatures!

[walaa]

Could you describe the pennies in a bag? What kind of bag, hanging or set up on a shelf,etc.. really appreciate it. I have tried all the home remedies for barnflies, so far, none have worked that great. I tried the fly trap recipe that was posted on here, but alas, they dont work near as well as the stinky store bought ones. The home recipe catches about 1/20 the flies that the store made ones catch. This is the first year that the flies have actually been this bad in the barn, worst year ever for all bugs The fly predators cant keep up, though I dont think they have worled that well, wont spend the $ for them next year

[Diane]

Walaa,
I use a sandwich size baggie, 3 pennies, 1/3rd filled with water but you can use any size. It prevents flies from swarming. I use it in my garage suspended over a doorway.

[walaa]

I guess this sounds stupid, but do youleave the bag cracked open? or zip it closed, and then hang it? Thanks again

[Diane]

Walaa, zipped closed. It supposedly simulates predator eyes, reflected and magnified to keep the flies from swarming. Not used as a trap.

[foothillsequine]

Exactly what Diane said. We hang the bags over every stall high enough that the horses can't get them. Something else that works very well is diatomaceous earth. It's a natural product that is not harmful to the environment that we dust over manure piles. You can also dust it on your grass, it is not harmful to the horses, and it kills anything hatching....

[walaa]

Hanging them now ! is the earth stuff dangerous to dogs? my poor beautiful pit ate some Golden Malrin last week and almost died Thankfully pulled through after a few days at the vet, $$$ and is almost back to her old silly self Throwing that s$%# away, I mean how hard is it to kill a fly? They live through that bait, and it starts killing a 60 lb dog almost instantly, uugghh. Set out the predators today, hanging the pennies, see if that starts some relief in the barn, thanks for the ideas!

[foothillsequine]

It is not harmful in any way to any animal, fish, fowl etc. Just be careful when you are dusting that you do not get it in your eyes. You can even put it in dog beds cat beds, etc. Wonderful stuff! Here is a link to some further information on it....

http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/diatearth.htm

We used fly predators last year, and all they did was make some funky looking flies..you really need to also try a feed through fly product. We use simplifly and it really really works well. We don't use it on the pregnant mares, because there has not been a study determining safety in the pregnant ones, but other companies produce the same product that have done the safety study. It costs alot more. We literally have very few flies. Also gnats and mosquitoes (?sp) hate the ammonia, and stay clear.

Good luck!

[griff]

fly predators only work on flies that lay eggs in manure.. It does a great job there if you use enough every month but have no effect on the biting flies that emerge from creek mud

griff

[walaa]

yes, thats the catch with those things, 40$ a month and it is barely enough for 6 stalls, dont even bother going outside with them The do a good job for a few days , then nothing. This is the 3rd year in a row I have used them, no more for me, I can use the extra dough on other fly control.