Horse flies are insects that commonly bother horses and farm animals. Female flies land on, injure the skin, and suck the blood of farm animals. Cattle flies are notoriously difficult to deal with, but you can choose to use physical, chemical, or home remedies.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Using Traps to Catch Lure Flies
Step 1. Purchase physical traps
If there are a lot of important livestock, people, or plants in the area, a nontoxic physical trap is best suited. Here are some options for effective physical traps for catching flies:
- Lamp Trap. The trap lights are specially selected to attract nuisance insects. Insects that land on the lamp will be trapped in the glue sheet or electrocuted and die immediately.
- Flies Glue. This paper contains an adhesive that attracts and traps house flies as well as flies.
- Flies-be-Gone fly trap. This trap uses bait in the form of fly feed placed in a plastic bag. The fly enters the bag through the funnel and cannot escape once it is inside.
- Horse Pal fly trap. These oversized traps are specially designed to attract visual hunters such as the rat fly and deer fly. When a fly approaches and realizes that its target is not prey, it becomes trapped in the metal part of the trap and burns to death in the sun.
Step 2. Make your own trap
- Hang a chair or bench from the ceiling of the cage or a breeding ground for flies.
- Attach the string to a medium-sized dark ball. Tie a rope to the base of the chair or bench so that the ball hangs.
- Place the Fly Adhesive on the underside of a chair or bench. Every few hours, swing the ball. The flies are attracted to movement and dark colors so they will be attracted to the ball.
- When a fly approaches and sees that the target is unattractive, the fly will fly upwards and become trapped in the Fly Stick.
Method 2 of 4: Get Rid of Flies with Insecticides
Step 1. Select the insecticide you want to use
Several insecticides have the same level of effectiveness. So that insects are not resistant, you should rotate the use of several different insecticides. Insecticides that can be used are:
- Pyrethroids (cypermethrin, fenvalerate, permethrin, resmethrin, tetramethrin, s-bioalletrin, sumitrin);
- Organophosphate (koumafos, dichlorvos, malation, tetrachlorvinfos)
- Organochlorine (lindane, methoxychlor)
Step 2. Apply directly to farm animals
Make sure that the insecticide is safe to apply directly to livestock. Then:
- Use a small mist pump or a handheld mist sprayer to spray the insecticide on the animals.
- If the spray scares your animal, dip a sponge or glove in the insecticide and rub it on the animal.
- Always wear rubber gloves. Never allow insecticides to come into direct contact with your skin.
Step 3. Spray insecticide all around your property
Spray rest areas or cages around the eaves, walls, ceilings, and rafters.
- Always remove farm animals from pens before spraying. Some farm animals may have to be kept outside for a while. Just follow the directions on the chemical container you are using.
- Spray the insecticide on the remaining area a little at a time. Make sure the sprayer is installed at low pressure.
- Be careful not to contaminated drinking containers and animal feed containers. Also, don't let the spray get on your farm equipment.
Step 4. Spray a large area, which can protect several properties
Spraying large areas is efficient; the processing time is not too long and the workload is not so heavy. However, the effect of area spraying tends to be short.
- Use a sprayer, sprayer car, or hydraulic sprayer to apply the insecticide.
- Gentle bits of insecticide will reach the fly's habitat and kill it.
Method 3 of 4: Untested Home Remedies
Step 1. Mix a cup of dish soap with about 4 liters of water
Spray flies with the solution. The soap will interfere with the fly's breathing without harming the plants and animals on your property.
Step 2. Mix 5 cups of water, 1 cup of lemon-scented dish soap, 1 cup of lemon-scented ammonia, and 1 cup of mint-flavored mouthwash in a bucket
Pour into a plant sprayer, then spray onto grass and bushes. This solution is harmless to plants but repels house flies and other biting insects.
Method 4 of 4: Preventing Drawn Flies and Providing Protection for Animals
Step 1. Keep the animal's environment clean
Clean up fertilizers, old bedding, and feed spills. If necessary, spray the fertilizer pile with insecticide to prevent the emergence of larvae.
Step 2. Drain standing water near farm animals
Create a proper drainage system and remove waterlogged containers. At the height of the fly season, cover the pond.
Step 3. Prune weeds and tall grass
In areas where weeds or tall grass grow, housefly can find soil that is moist and cool enough to breed. When the weather is hot, insects also sometimes hide in areas with dense vegetation. To avoid this from happening, trim weeds and tall grass regularly, especially those growing around the trench.
Step 4. Provide a covered and shaded area for pets and farm animals
A kennel, stable, or doghouse provides a place to hide when flies harass animals outdoors. Make sure all windows and doors are screened to prevent flies from getting in.
Step 5. Put ear protection, face coverings, and insect repellent stickers or tape on the animal
Step 6. Perform annual rituals such as castration in winter
At that time the fly population should be at a low point so that it will not crowd the wound on the animal.
Tips
- Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and a hat when working around flies. You can glue fly tape to the hat so that the flies flying around your head stick to it.
- Experts are still debating the effectiveness of insecticides in dealing with flies. Insecticides that are sprayed on animals can be ineffective because the flies are not in direct contact with the chemical compound for a long time so that the effect is not felt. Some sprays containing DEET are much more effective but the compound melts plastic and is unpleasant to use.
- Bring a fly swatter.
Warning
- When the flies swarm, don't budge. Clapping, waving, and running just make the flies come even more.
- Cattle flies don't bite people is a misconception. In addition to biting other animals, flies also bite people as often as mosquitoes. In the summer, especially on certain beaches in the United States and other countries, it is quite common for horseflies to approach and target crowds of people. Horseflies will try to bite anything that moves or emits carbon dioxide because they know it's a source of blood. If bitten, wash the wound with soap and water. Press the gauze swab moistened with ethanol on the wound. Beware of swelling, who knows the wound will get worse because of allergies or infection.
