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If you own a horse, you know how annoying flies can be.

They buzz around your horse’s ears, bite his skin, and make him restless and irritable. Flies are not only a nuisance, but they can also transmit diseases and parasites to your horse. That’s why fly control for horses is so important, especially in the summer when flies are most active.

But how can you protect your horse from these pesky insects?

In this article, we will give you some tips on how to choose the best fly control for your horse and stables.

Fly Control for Horses: What You Need to Know Before we dive into the different options for fly control for horses, let’s review some basic facts about flies and their life cycle. This will help you understand why some methods work better than others, and how to prevent flies from breeding and multiplying in your horses’ environment.

There are many types of flies that can bother your horse, such as house flies, stable flies, horn flies, face flies, deer flies, horse flies, black flies, biting midges, and mosquitoes. Each type has different habits, preferences, and effects on your horse. For example, house flies are attracted to manure and rubbish, and they feed on secretions from your horse’s eyes and nose. Stable flies are also attracted to manure, but they bite your horse’s legs and belly. Horn flies cluster around your horse’s back and neck, and they suck blood. Deer flies and horse flies are large and aggressive, and they can inflict painful bites on your horse’s head and body. Black flies are small and swarm around your horse’s ears and eyes. Biting midges are also known as no-see-ums or gnats, and they can cause sweet itch or summer sores on your horse’s skin.

Flies have a four-stage life cycle: egg, larva (maggot), pupa (cocoon), and adult. The length of this cycle depends on the type of fly and the environmental conditions, but it can range from a few days to a few weeks. Most flies lay their eggs in moist organic matter, such as manure, bedding, grass clippings, compost piles, or stagnant water. The eggs hatch into larvae that feed on the organic matter until they pupate into cocoons. The pupae then emerge as adult flies that mate and lay more eggs.

Flies are most active during the day, especially when it is warm and sunny. They tend to rest at night or when it is cool or cloudy. Flies are attracted to light, heat, carbon dioxide, moisture, odours, movement, and colours. They prefer dark colours over light colours. Fly Control for Horses: Best Practices Now that you know more about flies and their behaviour, let’s look at some of the best practices for fly control for horses. These include:

Stable management: This is the most important and effective way to reduce the fly population in your stables. By removing the sources of food and breeding sites for flies, you can prevent them from multiplying and spreading diseases. Stable management practices include:

Cleaning stalls daily and removing manure from paddocks regularly.
Composting manure away from the barn or disposing of it properly.
Keeping grass short in pastures and around the barn.
Eliminating sources of stagnant water or changing water buckets frequently.
Using fans or ventilation to keep air moving in the barn.
Sealing rubbish bins and disposing of rubbish regularly.
Cleaning feeders and waterers regularly.

Fly protection in the paddock: When your horse is out in the pasture or paddock, you can use various products to protect him from flies.

These include:

Fly masks: These are mesh covers that fit over your horse’s head and ears. They protect his eyes from irritation and infection caused by flies. Some fly masks also have nose covers or ear covers for extra protection.
Fly sheets: These are lightweight blankets that cover your horse’s body. They protect his skin from bites and sunburn caused by flies. Some fly sheets also have neck covers or belly bands for extra protection.
Fly repellent collar: These are plastic collars that attach to your horse’s halter or mane. They contain insecticides that repel flies from your horse’s head area.
Fly repellent
Fly insecticide

For more information and to buy products please visit Fly Control products

References PennState Extension (2015) Equine Insect Pests. https://extension.psu.edu/equi ne-insect pests Nick Golding, Miles A Nunn, Jolyon M Medlock, Bethan V Purse, Alexander G C Vaux and Stefanie M Schafer. (2012) West Nile virus vector Culex modestus established in southern England. Parasites & Vectors 5:32 doi:10.1186/1756-3305-5-32. Public Health England (2014). Advice on staying mosquito-bite free this summer. https://extension.psu.edu/equi Lassaline, M (2018) Disorders of the eye and vision. In: Equine Internal Medicine (4th Edition), Eds. Reed, SM, Bayly WM & Sellon DC. Elsevier Inc., St. Louis, Missouri, P1139 - 1158