Fly Question

[eyore]

I don't own cattle but my neighbor does. He has them on the other side of his house so I seldom hear them or see them.
I think he talked our other neighbor into letting him use his field for his cattle. If he did, that means they will be at the edge of my back yard.
The previous owner that had the field had 2-3 horses in there and we got infested with flies. Once they moved and took the horses with them the fly problem went away.
I'm hoping I'm wrong and that isn't his plan, but how bad will flies be if he does put cattle there?

[topside1]

What do you think? There is no answer to a question like that....That's country living love it or leave it....Sorry but cows come with flys, they don't enjoy them either...Topside

[Gabriel]

Originally Posted by eyore

... how bad will flies be if he does put cattle there?

That depends on his management. If, for any reason, they spend most of their time close to your fence line, there'll be a buildup of manure/flies there. If not, then be grateful. There are fly traps and they do help, get one if it turns out to be a problem.

[eyore]

Thanks for the reply. I figured there would be flies just hoping not as bad as with the horses.
When we moved here there was no horses or cattle. The horses left a couple of years ago. The neighbor over time has been getting into cattle. It's just I would rather not have them almost right out my back door. My door to edge of field appr 40 steps and not big steps. I guess time will tell what he is going to be doing for sure.

[eyore]

Originally Posted by Gabriel

That depends on his management. If, for any reason, they spend most of their time close to your fence line, there'll be a buildup of manure/flies there. If not, then be grateful. There are fly traps and they do help, get one if it turns out to be a problem.

Thanks for replying. I don't know how his management is. I guess I better be hoping that they don't spend time at the fence line on my side then and hang out on one of the different fence lines.

[sammyd]

keep your lawn mowed and push your mower under the fence a bit so there is no green stuff to entice the cattle to hang around.

[eyore]

We do keep the grass cut, I will tell hubby to cut under the fence some if they put cattle in there. Thanks for the suggestion.

[genebo]

The best thing about freedom is being able to do the things you want. The best thing about this country we live in is how much freedom we have. If you have freedom, so does your neighbor.

It might help you be happier if you were to discover that your neighbor was a veteran who had fought to help us keep the freedom we have.

In the meantime, there are a number of things that you can do to minimize the fly problem, but none that will make it go away.

Sanitation cuts down the number of flies. Fly traps attract and kill flies. Bats, spiders and birds help. Fly predators do, too.

Make sure your screens are tight. Hang fly strips and repellents. Close the door behind you.

Don't do anything to encourage the cows to hang around the fence line. They are hungry and keep moving, looking for food, except when they lie down to chew their cud. That's usually in some shade this time of year. They won't choose to hang out along your fence if there's no shade.

You could even offer to buy the owner some fly spray for his cattle. Or maybe a back rubber to hang somewhere away from you. Ask him if you can help improve his watering facility so they'll hang around there more often. Or help him build a loafing shed.

I'm running out of imagination and ideas, but you get the drift. You're not a helpless bystander. There are things you can do.

And be careful cutting under the fence in case it's electric. Getting shocked by the fence isn't funny.

Keep your eye on his cattle, too. If they flourish and grow fat and sleek, he may sell you some really good beef for your freezer at a neighborly price.

Cattle don't have flies as bad as horses do, and the types of flies on cattle don't bother people as much. Plus it's called "fly season". It's only for a few months out of the year.

I know, I know. Those are your favorite months to be outside!

Genebo
Paradise Farm

[eyore]

Thanks Genebo for all the suggestions.