[altair]

Today was the first official plague. I killed about 12 while sitting with my parents on my porch. Mom killed a few. Not a huge deal.

I went to shut up the goats and there was a dull roar in the barn. My husband's a massage therapist, so we have essential oils up the yazoo, so I made up a batch of spray and water and wet the windows (our hardware cloth is about 1/2 inch, so the bugs can easily get in). I sprayed the goats and they were unhappy (naturally). Then I turned on the industrial fan.

What does everyone else do for these pests?

 

[BadOregon]

I have about 30 barn swallow nests in my barn. First year they moved in, suddenly no bugs in the barn and a lot fewer in the yard. Amazing what a difference over 150 swallows make. They usually have two hatches per year and raise between 3 and 5 per nest. That is a lot of bugs eaten.
A fan does help, other than that I don't know. Would suggest feeding your goats garlic, but that makes your milk taste
nasty. Brewers yeast is supposed to help. My husband drinks beer and they never bite him.

 

[Forcast]

Avon skin so soft use to be a thing. Dad did the onion and garlic eating.

 

[GTX63]

I know it doesn't mention that it repels mosquitoes, but it seems to work for me.

 

[starrynights]

Today was the first official plague. I killed about 12 while sitting with my parents on my porch. Mom killed a few. Not a huge deal.

I went to shut up the goats and there was a dull roar in the barn. My husband's a massage therapist, so we have essential oils up the yazoo, so I made up a batch of spray and water and wet the windows (our hardware cloth is about 1/2 inch, so the bugs can easily get in). I sprayed the goats and they were unhappy (naturally). Then I turned on the industrial fan.

What does everyone else do for these pests?

We don't seem to have them here. I don't think I've seen one in 20 yrs+-

 

[altair]

I'll try feeding the goats some things that could be repellant-- at the very least it won't harm them.

We do have brown bats that live in our house attic space. And I did see one swooping around two nights ago. I was hoping they did okay this winter. At one point we had about twenty I could easily count as they left the house but I'm not sure with white-nose syndrome how hard they've been hit since last year.

I don't usually mind living by a large wetland, but mosquitos literally suck. The goats don't even want to graze in some stretches in the evenings.

 

[Alice In TX/MO]

You can get Avon Skin So Soft, mix with water, spray it on.

 

[altair]

^ And it smells amazing!

The barn swallows are also moving in (to the barn and garage and wherever else they can fit) so I'm hoping everything with an appetite for bugs fills their bellies.

 

[muleskinner2]

What does everyone else do for these pests?

I live in the mountains in New Mexico. I haven't seen a mosquito in thirty years.

 

[altair]

I'd say I send some of ours, but can predict that answer...

Tonight was more of the same, hundreds flying around inside the barn. My husband installed a bug zapper which also had some kind of lure. It was definitely working.

Dozens of them were in window screens trying to get out or attracted to the daylight. I killed those. What was odd was that none of the 100+ I killed had any blood/they hadn't fed despite my goats being around all day.

 

[BadOregon]

Whatever you do, don't use fly strips in an attempt to get rid of them. I learned the hard way that swallows don't come off of those.

 

[altair]

Husband placed an empty food bowl under the bug zapper and this morning there was a goodly-sized mound of dead mosquitos. I hardly saw any in the barn too, even in the windows where I massacred a bunch of 'em.

I won't try the fly strips, thanks for the reminder. Flies luckily aren't an issue. I scoured the pens down to concrete and all the bedding is now spread afield.