Feedback on fly predators.

[Rockin'B]

We had a terrible problem with flys around the barn last year so we thought we'd give the fly predators a try. We have 3 cows, 4 goats, and 8 chickens using the barn and I have not seen one single fly in the barn so far this year.

I know a sample of one year is not terribly scientific, but I don't really care as long as there are no flys!

What a difference this year. I hope it keeps up like this.

Anyone else giving them a try?

Bill

[Tiffin]

When did you start putting them out? I put my first application May 15th and I'm surprised at the no flies, but I'm wondering if it's just because it isn't hot here yet. I get more in June, July and August. We have free range chickens so I put them in a sack and hung them up. What did you do?

[Tango]

My results were awful. I ordered early to ship at their best time, which was March 18. After writing in how many animals I had, according to them, I needed to purchase 20K fly predators a month. By early May after two shipments, my kitchen was inundated with flies, 200 easily, same as last year. The flies are all over the cows, same as last year. Can't open a door in the house without a few entering. Can't leave the windows of the truck down or they'll load up and mess on everything. The only place that seemed to have fewer flies was the horse barn at the road but I got the same results with three fly sticky tapes last year. I've no neighbors or their livestock anywhere close. My e-mail to spalding labs yielded "Fly predators work 99% of the time." They couldn't be bothered to ask anything about my set up, or provide further advice. So after $100 donated to them, I dropped them and am going back to what didn't work last year. Same results but a lot cheaper.

[Sherrynboo]

I have used them before and last year they seemed to have worked. I have set out one batch this year and the flies seem to be building. I should recieve another shipment any day now. A friend of mine who had a chicken farm was inundated with flies until she started using them so i am hoping they will work soon! As dry as it is, you would think they wouldn't be producing well.

sherry in GA

[BaronsMom]

From University of Nebraska:

What About Using Parasites for Fly Control?


What about using parasites for fly control? Another non-toxic approach is to use parasitic wasps which lay eggs in immature flies, usually the pupa. The wasp larva quickly hatches, feeds on the pupa and kills it before it emerges. For acceptable control, you must release wasps at the beginning of the fly season and continue releasing more wasps, weekly or monthly, throughout the summer. The number of wasps needed is based on the amount of waste (i.e., number of horses) you have.

Does it make sense to use parasitic wasps in conjunction with feed-through products? No. If you kill the larvae with a feed-through product, the wasp larvae won’t have anything to feed on.

How effective are parasites? Under natural conditions in Nebraska, wasps parasitize fly pupae at a rate of 1-4 percent early in the season, gradually increasing to 20-30 percent by the end of the fly breeding season in the fall.

However, research studies were conducted with parasitoids to increase the natural level of fly control in Nebraska feedlots and dairies. Results showed wasp releases did not achieve reductions in fly populations, even when four times the recommended numbers of wasps were released.

Source: Low Toxic Fly Management for Horses

[Rockin'B]

Tango,

Did you buy yours from Spalding?
We just put out our second application of them. The cows were in a small "paddock" area that is on the backside of the barn and we sprinkled them in the two areas of straw/manure around the hay feeders.
Maybe it's really to early for real results, but we had flys last year at this time that were really pretty bad. It typically gets worse as summer moves on.

Should be interesting to see how this progresses.

Bill

[clsmith15]

I have had amazingly good results when I have used them when there wasn't any other livestock nearby. I have found that when I have livestock for neighbors they really don't make a difference.

[homebirtha]

We used them last year and the year before, and it seemed to keep the flies under control. But then I read what baronsmom posted awhile back, and we wondered if they were really working or it was our imagination. So I didn't order any yet this year, but I've noticed more flies then we had last year even later in the summer. So I think I will get some again this year.

I'm not sure they would work in a feedlot type situation or a conventional dairy, where is sounds like they were tested in Nebraska. But for our small farm where we do things like rotate pastures and move the chickens frequently, they seem to help.

[sidepasser]

I have used them in the past and they will work but it does take a few weeks of reapplication of the predators and one should still use good manure management practices as well. They do not seem to work as well if the neighbors who have livestock do not practice fly control measures as flies can travel up to one mile to come "visit".

This year I am using Solitude IGR and it does seem to be working well. I still have fly strips hanging in the barn and am using fly spray on the horse, hauling the manure out of the barn twice a day and spreading it out, etc. I think I get better "bang for the buck" with the Solitude IGR than the predators. At least if I feed 1/2 ounce per day, I know the horse is getting it...lol, unlike the predators, once released, I wonder "where did those critters go??"..hard to see them - lol..

[DocM]

I'm using Spalding, just applied our first "dose". Too early to tell here, flies aren't usually a problem until end of June. Hoping they work though.

[JHinCA]

Two years ago we used them and had flies, but not an overwhelming number of them. Last year we did not use them and had A LOT of flies. This year I am using them and the flies do not seem to be nearly as bad, but it is early in the season. i am getting a shipment every 2 weeks through the season.

On our place we currently have 6 pigs, 6 cattle, 70-some sheep (mostly belonging to our renter), 3 turkeys, 3 dogs and at the moment nearly 4 hundred pastured chickens. I ordered the predators from The Source. I ordered less than they recommend, figuring the chickens do *some* fly control on their own.

This year I am also using a "natural" fly control product on the milk cows that actually seems to work! It is Crystal Creek No Fly in the oil based formula. I use it diluted 5 to one in mineral oil. I tried it out applying it only to the cows right sides in the morning and in the evening they had just a couple flies on their right sides and the usual number on the left side where I had not applied it. It even smells good.