How Horse Owners can Fight Flies and Mosquitoes
The most effective ways to control flies and mosquitoes around horses are eliminating standing water where insects breed, installing barn-safe ceiling or wall fans, keeping the barn scrupulously clean, using an automatic fly and mosquito control system, limiting turnout at dawn and dusk, and resolving muddy areas for good. The stakes are real—mosquitoes transmit diseases like EEE, WEE and West Nile virus, and mortality for horses that contract EEE runs about 90 percent. Skip the bug zapper: studies show only 1 percent of the bugs they kill are mosquitoes.
There’s nothing like a warm spring day to bring out the flying insects. It starts with those little gnats and flying midges and before you know it, the entire eco-system is humming with biting insects. They are more than irritating; pound for pound flies and mosquitoes are the most dangerous critters on earth.
Article by Shoo-Fly, Inc. Automatic Fly and Mosquito Control
As bridge-vectors, mosquitoes transmit equine diseases like EEE (eastern equine encephalomyelitis), WEE (western equine encephalomyelitis), and WNV (West Nile virus.) Mortality rates for horses that contract EEE are a whopping 90 percent and 30 to 50 percent for horses that test positive for WEE or WNV. Other health risks include contact dermatitis, bacterial, and viral diseases. All good reasons to do everything you can to control their numbers. Spring is an ideal time to get a jump on fly and mosquito control. Here are 7 of the most effective ways to fight back:
1 Mosquitoes require standing water in order to lay their eggs
2 Install barn fans or ceiling fans
3 Keep the barn whistle clean
4. Consider installing an automatic fly and mosquito control system. Automatic Fly and Mosquito Control system kills flies, mosquitoes, and other flying pests in 60 seconds or less. Additionally, these systems also interrupt the breeding cycle. Insects do not develop resistance to this safe , biodegradable, and natural formula. Ramm’s Automatic Fly and Mosquito Control System works well for up to 8-stalls, but the system is easily expanded with additional nozzle kits.
What’s Your Peace of Mind Worth?
Happy, healthy horses live in fly-free barns, and happy horse owners know that keeping flying insects under control is one of the most important things you can do to keep your animals comfortable and disease-free.
Flying insects are one of the most notorious transmitters of disease in the barn. Without an effective pest management system, the risk of infection and illness for you and your horses is increased. Shoo-fly delivers economical flying insect control for horse barns. When spraying a barn six times a day for 45-second durations, the average cost per month is approximately $12 per horse for safe, premium quality Shoo-fly insecticides.
5 Forget the bug zapper
6 Limit your horse’s exposure
7. Resolve your muddy spots once and for all. It cannot be stressed enough; mosquitoes and flies love mud. You know mud as a nuisance, but mud is also a health hazard. How many years have you waged a losing battle on mud? A new product, the Lighthoof Mud Management Panel, turns the tables in your favor.
The Lighthoof Mud Management Panel is a lightweight, flexible plastic grid that conforms to any area. Field tested, the Lighthoof Mud Management Panel solves the challenge of uneven or sloped areas. They’re easy to install on hilly areas, around tree roots, in shallow ditches, and on any uneven terrain. They are especially effective for solving mud around gates. Lighthoof Mud Management Panels have an innovative, flexible design that prevents mud and erosion caused by hoof traffic.
They offer a permanent solution for any sized farm and works for other livestock such as cattle, pigs, goats, and more. The panels are constructed of a flexible high density polyethylene, the same material used in backpacking frames, conduit, and boat construction. High density polyethylene doesn’t absorb water and is extremely corrosion resistant.
One consumer writes of her previously boggy gate area; “it remained blissfully dry throughout our wet winter into the soggy spring. I would recommend this to anyone wanting a safe, affordable, and easy to maintain solution to mud problems.” The Lighthoof system is easy to install and requires no excavation. You prepare the site by laying down landscape cloth or geotextile barrier fabric.
Then you’ll stretch the flexible mud panel over the cloth, anchoring it to the ground. Pour the recommended gravel (angular crushed rock with fines works great) into the cells. Rounded gravel, pea stone, drain rock, washed gravel, and straight river or beach sand will not set up in this product. Each panel expands 6 feet x 12 feet. You’ll connect your Lighthoof Mud Management Panels with Envirolock™ ties, a strong and durable product used in construction.
Lighthoof Mud Management Panels offer a permanent solution to muddy areas and are super easy for one or two people to install. Managing Fly and mosquito pests is important for healthy horse management.
