Mosquito & Fly Control

Flying insects are some of the worst parts of summer for horse people. While we don’t have a magic solution for you, here are a few tips to help control them on your farm.

• Eliminate mosquito breeding sites (standing water). Fill pot holes, clean ditches so they drain, fix leaking plumbing, empty and turn over any unused water vats or pails. Remove or drill holes in containers that collect water such as old tires. Ensure that building gutters are not retaining water.

• Clean water vats on a regular cycle (weekly or monthly)

• Place water vats on a hard or crushed stone surface to minimize mud

• Clean stalls daily and pick the manure from paddocks close to the barn

• Keep grain and feed room clean

• Keep compost and manure piles at least 100 feet from the barn

• Use fans in the barn to provide ventilation

• Use fly traps and strips in enclosed areas

• Keep lights off in the barn at night

• Use fly masks, sheets, or insect repellants designed to repel mosquitoes

• Consider using predators or larvicides when it is difficult to eliminate particular breeding sites

These tips were "borrowed" from Bonny's textbook: Equine Health and Emergency Management http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1418065676/?tag=flatwave-20