Natural Fly Control by The Organic Cowboy™ ✓ Verified

How Does It Work?

Step 1 – Locate Your Worst Fly Breeding Habitats

The primary fly breeding habitats in horse stables are those areas where manure builds up along fence lines (tough to clean up areas), and where manure is stored for later removal or handling. These are the primary fly breeding habitats and this is where you’ll find fly larva in large concentrations.

Step 2– Put Your Fly Parasites to Work

It’s now time to release your fly parasites and let them go to work for you. Working along the fence line, choose the areas of greater build-up, then simply peal open the top of the pack and shake out a small quan- tity of the fly parasites on to the manure. Continue with this process, until you’ve covered as much of the stable as possible. As the season progresses, you’ll begin to clearly recognize the worst fly breeding habi- tats. You should release your fly parasites there first, and then move to the secondary habitats. This is the same procedure you’ll follow with the arrival of each shipment of Organic Cowboy™Fly Parasites.

Step 3 – Maintain an Effective Program

Your fly parasites are now doing their job, but there are things you can do optimize your season long fly control. Along with releasing the proper number of fly parasites throughout the season, weekly stall and barn cleanup can greatly reduce the amount of fly breeding habitat and ef- fectively interrupt the fly breeding cycle. Cleanup and limited spray use in fly roosting habitats (where adult flies rest), can complement your biological fly control program. Just be sure never to apply the chemical sprays in areas where you release your fly parasites.

Whether you choose to receive your fly parasites every other week or monthly, be sure to release them within 48 hours of arrival. This helps you stay ahead of the flies, and insures that the fly parasites are fresh and ready for action. If you choose to store them for a few days, keep them refrigerated, to slow their metabolism.

Fly parasites are a species of parasitoids from the Pteromalidae family that are endemic to North America. These species-specific parasites lay their eggs exclusively in fly pupae, which serve as their host. Our Organic Cowboyblend of fly parasites includes Spalangia cameroni, Muscidifurax zaraptor, and Muscidifurax raptorellus. This mix of multiple strains effectively controls house flies, stable flies and horn flies.

Fly parasites spend their entire life cycle on or near the surface of manure and other decaying organic matter. When released near fly breeding sites, the female searches through the habitat like a predator, seeking out fly pupae. Upon locating a pupal case, she drums a hole, inserts her ovipositor, and deposits anywhere from one to a dozen eggs inside, depending on the species. She continues this process until all her eggs have been laid.

The lifespan of a female fly parasite ranges from as little as two weeks to about a month. She typically lives long enough to deposit 50 to 100 eggs. The eggs laid inside the pest fly pupae develop into mature adults within 14 to 28 days, leading to a new generation of fly parasites.

Let Organic Cowboy™ Help You Get Started Today!

Organic Cowboy™ understands the needs of horse owners. Organic Cowboy™ was designed to be a highly effective and natural way to control flies to benefit both horses and the owners that love them. Call today and tell us about your property-- and we'll help you!