b'FARM&BARN ALAYNE BLICKLETheHorse.com/FarmandBarnThe (Nearly) Fly-Free FarmTechniques to help reduce and manage nuisance fly numberson horse propertiesI ts almost summertime. During barnFly masks act as physical barriers chores we pause in the sun, satisfied just to watch our horses graze peace-fully in the green grass. What could bebetween horse and fly and many better? Well, there is the fly situation;offer the added benefit of protecting theyre everywhere, buzzing around ourhorses with white faces from sunburn.faces and pestering the horses, which are constantly shaking their heads, swishing tails, and stomping feet.Flies on farms and ranches can be extremely annoying for all who encounter them. While its not possible to create an entirely fly-free environment, you can take steps to help reduce and manage their numbers. Flies are in the order Diptera, a very large order which contains several thousand fly species that anyone with livestock deals with constantly, says Brad Stokes, MS, an extension educator ento-mologist with the University of Idaho, in Mountain Home. A fly life cycle has four stages: egg, lar-vae, pupae, adult. The hardest life stage ISTOCK.COMto control is adult, because they move so quickly and are able to avoid us and our typical control methods, says Stokes. The best life stage to target is actuallyManure Managementwith well-managed composting systems. larval. All fly larvae require moist organicYour first line of defense against fliesAlso clean up other organics, such as matter for development, which is oftenshould be a fastidious manure manage- spilled feed or grain, grass clippings, in abundance on horse and livestockment program. Flies are attracted todecomposing hay, and pet waste, as these properties. manure, and larvae eat it; the less manureare also likely fly habitats. For controlling insects there areavailable, the fewer adult flies attracted,Make sure stalls and barns have good cultural methods (cleaning up manure),eggs laid, and resulting larvae hatched.drainage to eliminate wet/moist areas mechanical methods (fly swatters, masks,So, your first and best control methodwhere flies like to lay eggs. Check gutters sheets, and tape), biological controls (us- is daily cleaning of stalls, paddocks, andand downspouts on farm buildings to be ing organisms that are natural enemiesconfinement areas, particularly in thesure they are diverting rainwater away of the pest), and chemical controls,morning before adult flies warm up andfrom the structures and surrounding says Paul Castrovillo, PhD, Idaho Statebegin looking for egg-laying sites. paddocks. Fix leaky faucets, and get rid of Department of Agriculture entomologist,Then, either remove the stall wasteanything that collects water, such as old who has been studying insects for 60from your property, taking it to a disposaltires, stacks of flowerpots, or barrels.years. None are 100% effective. site (TheHorse.com/135757), or compostHarrow (or drag) pastures regularly In this article well describe a varietyit at home (TheHorse.com/135463). Re- to break up manure piles. Harrowing of fly control methods targeting differentsearchers have shown that flies and odorsspreads and dries out manure, making life stages. are associated with fresh manure and notit less attractive to flies. It also makes TheHorse.com|The Horse May 2020 37'