Pesky biting flies, a natural solution
It's a fact that when you keep livestock, you have the problem of pesky biting flies. Of course, you can spray pesticides, but those can be harmful to your animals and the environment. Plus, sprays only affect the adult insects, leaving huge populations yet to emerge. Those nasty flies will keep coming back as long as there are manure areas on which to breed. A few years ago, a product called Spalding Fly Predators came to our attention and Betsy, my stable manager wanted to try it out. Fly Predators are tiny beneficial insects that seek out the immature pupa stage of pest flies. The female Predator deposits her eggs in those pupas, killing the immature flies. This is really kind of an amazing process of insect control, which should be repeated every three to four weeks, to help keep that pest fly population in check. Come and have a look.
Photos By Martha Stewart and Eliad Laskin
Dear Betsy,
How does Martha do it by even making flies on "you know what" interesting???!!!!
You, Betsy, have to be commented on having to deal with this. I know this is all part of the farm life, but totally not for me. God Bless you and I know Martha blesses you as well for being so innovative, as to rid the flies before they even hatch! That is pretty amazing that it is even possible to do so.
Be well,
Kim in N.J.
Posted by: Kim in N.J. | June 15th, 2009 at 1:40 am
Thank you for this information. I dont know any one who has tried this and I was interested in this but was wondering if it was a waist of money. It would be nice if there wasn't any flies at all.I 2 miniture horses but my neighbor has 2 big horses. So I guess when I order I should order enough to cover them too.?.
Posted by: Betty Cordle | June 15th, 2009 at 2:38 am
Good morning Martha,
Kudos to Betsy for wanting to try a new product. I never gave thought about biting flies when I look at the photos of your beautiful horse barn. Biting flies ... ouch!!
I hope you had a restful weekend and are feeling a little better today. How are Sharkey and Francesca coping with their loss?
My deepest sympathy,
Gloria
Posted by: Gloria Brown, Winterport, ME | June 15th, 2009 at 8:11 am
We too use this same method of fly control. We buy ours from Arbico Organics. It works great. Here in East Texas we don't have a chance for the cold winters to knock back the insects including flies. They get as big has a half dollar. Yikes!! We have used this method for a little over two years now and I can count the number of biting flies on any given day on one hand. Of course I'm swatting them with the other. You also can get a liquid organic fly repellent that we use on their legs and hind quarters. It also works great. I would love to see more pictures of your chicken coop.
Posted by: Julie | June 15th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Congratulations for discussing these methods. Of course conventional agriculture, dairies and large livestock operations have been using them for many years just because they are devoted to food safety. Americans have the safest food possible because of new methods and restrictive measures when using chemicals. Insect control is a big issue around animals.
Posted by: Margie | June 15th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Hay! Martha!
Betsy seems to be head of the official 'swat' team!
She certainly knows her horse business, yes?
I have the same problem but on a smaller scale. The compost heaps, the chicken manure and the Florida sunshine...plus the Florida State bird *is* the mosquito, did you know? Ha! We also have these very quick and furious things called yellow flies. They bite you before they even land on you! I think the insects are getting smarter. Even the mosquitoes and the common house flies are much harder to 'swat'. I think they are passing down defend strategies from one generation to the next!
Bring on the Spalding Fly Predators and let's 'Play ball'!
And thanks for the good info!
PS. Your horses are so very beautiful. Black beauties, they are.
Posted by: tinay | June 15th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Hi Martha,
I think Kim kind of said it all for me! Not exactly a topic I THOUGHT I would be interested in yet nonetheless! I even Googled beneficial insects and found out there are many kinds, including ladybugs. Well, those flies are the worse so it is nice that you and Betsy will be keeping them under control. Those fly masks are something else, especially the ones for the donkeys but no doubt they appreciate being able to frolic without pesky flies in their eyes. They’re going to enjoy it even more when those buggers are under control and maybe they won’t have to wear the masks. You and Betsy take such great care of your animals, Martha. I am amazed at all the things you do on the farm. Trish
Posted by: Trish | June 15th, 2009 at 10:35 am
I have sent requests to have a photo of your boulder mounting block at the farm and have never received it as of yet. Please forward it as I am a Board Member of Highland Equestrian Conservancy in Highland, Michigan and suggested this idea on one of our County Parks property. I am also using the fly predators this year for the first time and will let you know what I find. Thanks, Allene
Posted by: Allene Holman | June 15th, 2009 at 10:45 am
I've been considering ordering the fly predators for our chicken coop. Greatly reassuring to have your experience.
Posted by: Elizabeth Gage | June 15th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
I had to chuckle to myself while viewing the photos of manure, realizing that I was LOOKING AT PHOTOS OF MANURE! I don't have a problem with it though - I'm a 'toughie'! [major giggle!]
I am so pleased with and am not surprised that you took the all-natural approach in trying to curtail these pests' fury on your anipals (as my Twitter buddies call them). Around our countryside here in Western Maryland, you will see many-a-horses sporting these fly masks. Those darned flies like to gather in that moist tear duct area, right down their beautiful long faces, but their swooshing tails can reach only so far as flyswatters! (And) in my part of the northeast (yours, too), the hot dog-days of summer haven't even arrived as of yet! These fly predators would fall along the lines of releasing ladybugs or preying mantis egg cases into the garden and allowing nature to take it's course.
Today's blog material is yet another reason, Martha, why I love you! You have such a dedicated and top-notch staff there at your farm. Albeit somewhat mundane and ho-hum to some, this situation is real and a concern to any who have/love animals and/or working farms.
=^..^=
"The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel."--Proverbs 12:10
(Today's New International Version)
Posted by: Cindy Bricker | June 15th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
...this is in response to Allene Holman's request for a copy of Martha's mounting block...
Allene, you can access a photo yourself by going to the links alongside the left side of Martha's blog. Go to the following:
>My Pets
>scroll down and select 'older entries'
>select 'January 19, 2009's' blog (Horseback Riding This Past Weekend)
>open the blog
>select 'see all photos in this gallery' under the 1st photo
>at the bottom of the photo page, select page 2
>there is a snow-covered mounting block photo, 3rd from the end
Hopefully, this will be helpful to you with your needs at hand!
=^..^=
Posted by: Cindy Bricker | June 15th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Hi Cindy,
Thank you so much for taking the time to guide Allene Holman through the blog. I hadn't gotten around to answering her myself and was happy to see that you beat me to it. Thanks also for being a regular reader of my blog and also The Daily Wag. Your comments are always appreciated.
Posted by: Martha Stewart | June 15th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Martha,
I'm so sorry for the loss of your cat. I've lost several pets and it is so difficult each time. My heart goes out to you.
Gail
Posted by: Gail L. Pepin | June 15th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
I'm now looking into this for our beef cows. I'm wondering how it would work when we are pretty spread out....anyone out there use it on cows and calves?
Posted by: iowacowgirl | June 15th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Martha
Thanks for the information on the pesky buggers. I really dislike anything that makes me itch or scratch at my skin. Whenever I come and look at the Blog I'm finding out a lot of good Info. Good Things Martha! Thanks.
Posted by: kristin svens | June 15th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Martha, quite a blog! And very interesting! How do you battle mother nature? I think maybe concentrating on a few areas might have been more realistic. Bugs are big. Let me know how the war goes!
Posted by: Barbara | June 15th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Hi Martha, just sending my condolences regarding the passing of your dear Mozart. What a beautiful tribute you posted to him.
My sweet cat Lucy died six months ago, aged 17 years and my dear Peggy Sue, aged almost 20 still lives on!
With thanks for you beautiful writing and tribute.
Wendy Bryan,
Victoria, Aust.
Posted by: Wendy Bryan | June 15th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Beautiful horses Martha. Martha I just had to come here and tell you about this young lady in Mt. Holly Vermont. Her name is Laura and she has a bakery, in which she bakes delicious sugar cookies and cupcakes. This is her website http://www.adozeneggs.com This Lady has a great bake shoppe and she and her husband does a great job with their work ethics and they deal very considerately with their customers. If you could check her out and especially her cupcakes. You will love them. She has even baked cookies for Lisa G. She's and awesome lady and I think you will find a treasure of a personality in her and her husband when you meet her. Thanks Martha for also being an inspiration for me as well. God bless.
Posted by: Harriett | June 15th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Hi Martha, Now this is a real learning blog! Thank you for all of this information concerning controlling biting insects that are dangerous to have around your livestock. I have never seen the eye and ear covers your horses and donkeys wear as protection from these pesky insects.What a wonderful thing to do to protect them so they can enjoy the great outdoors during the summer. Betsy sure does a great job of distributing good insects that take care of the bad ones. Cleaning up the manure is not a fun job, but is really necessary. On all farms with livestock there is the good, the bad and the ugly. Thanks for showing us how to control the bad and the ugly so that the good can survive. Your photos are once again the best. Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | June 16th, 2009 at 1:51 am
If someone has yet to be convinced about Martha's very large funny bone then these lovely manure pics will surely prove it. Martha, enough already! We get it, we get. Lol!
And looking at those fly masks made me think of one thing: I bet you Lady Gaga will soon be donning one of those contraptions. ;D No, I'm not a fan.
Posted by: Marie | June 16th, 2009 at 3:19 am
Martha, I am a minnesota resident and we always have a major issue with flies and Mosquitos due to the many bodies of water located virtually everywhere! We have locally come up with a solution that is extreamely effective. A solution to rid pesky flies and mosquitos is to use a mint mouthwash such as that of listerine and emptying it into a spray bottle and using anywhere you don't want the pesky buggers to come. This works excellently we even spay it on our dogs and the bugs will leave them alone for well over a week!! This is a safe and healthy effective method that can be used anywhere!! I definitely recomend trying this!!
Posted by: Josh ellingson | June 16th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Hello Martha,I live in the south and we do battle with all types of insects. Along with the great technique that you are already using, try this to keep flies at bay and away. Just take a few (about 5-6) pennies and place inside of a zip-lock bag. Add water to fill and close. Post on, above, or near entry doorways and exits. Guaranteed to keep flies away!
Posted by: Jean Clark | June 17th, 2009 at 5:12 am
My husband used to breed quarter horses and they used to rub neem oil on the horses, which worked really well. Neem is a tree in India, and it's bitter, and no insects eat its leaves or bark. You can google and find lots of info on the neem oil benefits and uses as a bug repellent.
Best wishes to you and your beautiful horses!
Posted by: Ragani | June 17th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Allene Holman, look on the blog for an entry titled "My neice, Kristan rides the Bedford Pace" Select all photos and in the third row you will see a very good picture of the block. Bet you could duplicate it.
Posted by: jill Wilks | June 17th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
NIIIICCEEE!! I LOVE fly predators! I swear by them! All natural and their effectiveness gets better year after year. You'll see improvement each and every year you use them. They are amazing. It's freedom from the pesticides! I always hate putting that stuff on my gelding!
Posted by: WJYD | September 23rd, 2009 at 6:22 pm