looking for natural bug spray for my Jersey cow...

[mudpuddle]

my poor lil jersey is just getting ate alive... ticks and flies mostly, are there any natural products or remedies you know of? she's pregnant.

[whitewolf]

I use a mix of 1cup white vinegar, 1 c. baby oil, 1c. water, 1/4 c. pinesol, 1tbsp. skin so soft &dish washing detergent. Put in a spray bottle. Seems to work pretty good except horse flies...nothing seems to be stopping them. Good luck.t

[happydog]

We get flies SO bad here. This year we tried these fly predators from Arbico Organics. I'd say the flies are reduced by probably 90%. It was kind of expensive, but when I thought about how much we were spending trying all kinds of natural fly sprays (that didn't work) and fly tape and just the general misery of having the *&^%$#$ flies all summer... I finally just bit the bullet and ordered it. They send us a little packet of fly predators every 3 weeks. It's been worth it and I'll definitely do it again next summer.

We also bought these cool fly masks from Jeffers. No pink eye from flies or poking their eyes on sharp grass or weeds.

The first time we walked our new property my husband got two ticks. We bought guineas as soon as we moved here and never saw another tick for two years. Something ate our guineas and within a month we've got ticks again. On the dog, on the cows, on the kids. Going tomorrow to pick up more guineas. I hate ticks. I hate flies too. At least we don't have fire ants here, lol

[francismilker]

Three cups Apple Cider Vinegar, two teaspoons of garlic powder, and a few drops of dishwashing liquid(for a surfactant) mixed in and shook well. Put it in a spray bottle and give her a few squirts everyday. It's not 100% fly proof but helps a lot. It works for ticks as well.

[tinknal]

Pyrethrin based fly spray is natural. It is made from flowers.

[Plowpoint]

I have used bats to combat the insects in my sheep pens over the last few years and it works quite well. I actually love watching the bats fly around at night and they eat their weight in bugs per night, drastically reducing the insect population without me having to do a thing, but position a few bat colony houses in the right areas. (Bats are very particular where they live so research well before just tossing up a bat house).

But bat control has one issue, they only eat the insects that come out at night. I noticed my ducks however, have a lot less bugs in their duck pens. Foraging for bugs during the day, they do pretty darn good.

So my strategy now is to employ the ducks to get the insects that are low and come out during the day, and allow the bats to get the bugs that come out at night and are higher in the air. I will be the first to admit that it is not 100% effective, but it does make a noticeable difference.

(Just an alternative).

[Cliff]

Originally Posted by happydog

We get flies SO bad here. This year we tried these fly predators from Arbico Organics. I'd say the flies are reduced by probably 90%. It was kind of expensive, but when I thought about how much we were spending trying all kinds of natural fly sprays (that didn't work) and fly tape and just the general misery of having the *&^%$#$ flies all summer... I finally just bit the bullet and ordered it. They send us a little packet of fly predators every 3 weeks. It's been worth it and I'll definitely do it again next summer.

We also bought these cool fly masks from Jeffers. No pink eye from flies or poking their eyes on sharp grass or weeds.

The first time we walked our new property my husband got two ticks. We bought guineas as soon as we moved here and never saw another tick for two years. Something ate our guineas and within a month we've got ticks again. On the dog, on the cows, on the kids. Going tomorrow to pick up more guineas. I hate ticks. I hate flies too. At least we don't have fire ants here, lol

Fire ants? Just wait, they're on their way. We never had them till a couple years ago either

[whitewolf]

happydog, do the predators help with horseflies? We have them the size of helicopters here.

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by whitewolf

happydog, do the predators help with horseflies? We have them the size of helicopters here.

Pretty sure that larval horse flies live in the water, so I doubt they would help.

[whitewolf]

Thanks tinknal.....shows your never too old to learn.

[linn]

I use 1/2 cup cider vinegar, a few drops of dish detergent, and a few drops each of citronella and lemongrass essential oil in a quart spray bottle. Fill it the rest of the way up with warm water. You will need to shake it well before each use. It works for a while. You can also rub some Diatomaceous Earth around your cow's eyes and poll area and along her tail head. I usually rub some along the bottom of the belly also.

[65284]

I use a mix of Neem oil, citronella and dish detergent to spray my cows and it works for several days, daily spraying not needed. Neem oil is a natural insect repellent, the product of an Asian tree and is pretty amazing stuff. I bought mine off of eBay . Google Neem tree, very interesting reading.

[bama-newsteader]

I use cedar oil. It works but you have to spray everyday. It kills the flies it contacts and repels the rest. We also use it on the dogs for fleas.

[suzyhomemaker09]

Us goat folks like this product....

Cylence Pour-On Bayer Animal Health (Fly Lice Control - Cattle Fly Lice - Pour-on, Spray Dust)

It's milk safe so I think it'd fit the bill for what you are looking for.

[KIT.S]

65284, what amount of neem do you use with the other ingredients? Could we get your recipe? I went to the farm store today, and after reading the backs of the bottles, I'm not going to use any of the commercial sprays. Ordered neem off ebay, and now need a recipe. I'm trying the vinegar/garlic/etc spray, and the cow seems to like it...
Kit