# Fly control



## rtdoyer (May 6, 2010)

I wasn't sure where to put this post and since it is has to do with housing, I figured this was a good spot.

Has anyone looked in to the fly control in which you buy the parasites and they attack the flies and help with the fly population. One is called the Fly Eliminator and here is a post from their site.

*How to Apply?* Fly Eliminators are shipped as parasitized fly pupae in wood shavings. When received, check for evidence of hatching. Once a few have hatched, simply disperse small handfuls or scoops around your property into â€œhot spotâ€ breeding areas: Manure piles; under water troughs; below bedding; corners of pens and paddocks, and feeding sites. Cover with dirt or manure to protect pupae.

We are having a bad fly season and the good old 'sticky hanging things' around the barn (away from the goats) don't seem to be catching a bunch of the big flies. I was wondering if anyone has ever used something like this.

If not, what are some other ideas out there. I've seen the hanging trap where the flies fly in like on a bee trap but I bought one once and it didn't seem to catch a lot.

Tonia


----------



## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

We have used em before and were thinking about getting em again. I cant say if it was the light summer we had when we used em or if they really worked that well but we have very few flies. The key to em is to put em where they will not get dug up by the goats and have enough shade so they dont cook. Thus the corners of shelters. But if there isnt enough manure in them to cover safely, id bring some in or pick a different area. This year the flyers are terrible just about everywhere in this area cause of the real light winter we had. The sucky thing about the fly predators is they dont breed and reproduce. So when they are gone... they are gone.


----------



## Huckleberry (Mar 12, 2010)

We have terrible fly and mosqitoe problems here. We started using Spalding fly predators several years back and noticed a huge difference with the flies. Depends on your area, but we usually put them out in May. They say you need to keep putting them out throughout the fly season, but one application makes a huge difference for us. We raise 25 meats birds each spring, have 5 layers, 2 pigs, and 4 goats at the time. 10,000 fly predators does a pretty good job for us.


----------



## Nanno (Aug 30, 2009)

I love the fly predators, and for me they have reproduced. I've bought them for years, and I put them around our new place during the last two years we've lived here and decided that I didn't need them this year. I could see the predators swarming in the horse manure this spring and I figured I wouldn't buy them if I can breed them! 

Those sticky fly traps work pretty good too if you want extra protection around your house. Last year a hummingbird got stuck on one of them and I felt bad about that, but I'd still use them anyway if we had enough flies this year to need traps.


----------



## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Because of the rains the flys are bad this year. to make it worse we are having our house remodled. the workers are in and out all day and the flys were just swrming the house. our contractor took a plastic zip lock bag put three copper Pennies in it spaced the pennies out in the bottom of the bag and filled the plastic bag about 1/2 full with water. he then pinned three bags of pennies abouve the door. He said that the slight electric current the bag makes messes with the fly's and they will not come in the house. It seems to be working. the number of flies in the house is down. at lunch i was sitting on the porch chatting with the workers and we watched several flys fly up to the door and then retreat. we did notice that the flys that did get in entered the house near the floor it seems the bags are effective for about a 4 foot radias.


----------



## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

Mythbusters did a segment on it: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/no-fly-zone.htm


----------



## rifleman (May 28, 2013)

I let my chickens scratch and peck around the goat pasture and compost heap, and I don't have any flies at all. They'll eat all the larvae and any adult flies they can catch. I also have a section of my garden planted as an insectory to attract predatory insects, which help keep the flies under control and also eliminate pretty much all of my pests (except rabbits, deer, and antelope) from the garden. Between those two methods, I don't have to use any artificial control at all.


----------



## AACmama (Jul 29, 2010)

rifleman said:


> I let my chickens scratch and peck around the goat pasture and compost heap, and I don't have any flies at all.


Ditto here. Our hens beeline to the goat barn first thing when I let them out in the morning...those tasty fly maggots must be singing breakfast music! We're having a _horrible_ year for fleas following a mild winter and would expect an equally difficult time with flies, but the chickens have controlled that problem nicely. I wouldn't go straight to _zero_ flies, but they are minimal.


----------

