little black flies

[Phyxius]

Are you talking about the house flies or the tiny black flies about the size of a large gnat?

Stable Flies are often called biting house flies. They look very much like house flies however, house flies don't have a mouth capable of biting like the stable flies. If you want to get technical about it their name is Stomoxys calcitrans and they are one of the species of biting flies that are "prey" to fly predators. Horn flies and black flies which are also annoying biting flies, are also susceptible to fly predators.


Do you perhaps mean midges (Culicoides)? Around here they're also called no see-ums. Many horses, especially those from cooler climates have sweet itch which is an allergic reaction to the saliva of biting midges. My mare has sweet itch, it sucks

 

[Wait4It..boom]

I want to know what preys on the horse and deer flies!! Because I want a @#%^load of them too! :O)

 

[CountryLady]

I want to know what preys on the horse and deer flies!! Because I want a @#%^load of them too! :O)

me too,
I think the horse flies this year have been ruthless. They must be some strange cross with vamire bat.........sheesh!

FYI,...for anyone intrested

Some herbs that have been used traditionally at the site of an insect bite or sting to reduce symptoms include:
• Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
• Stinging nettle ( Urtica dioica; Urtica urens)
• Tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)
• Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
• Plantain (Plantago major)

Some essential oils may help repel insects. Dilute the oil before applying; never apply pure oil directly. These oils include:
• Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)
• Clove (Eugenia caryophyllata)
• Citronella (Cymbopogon spp.)
• Neem oil or cream (Azadirachta indica)


I add some of these oils to diluted Apple cider vinegar and spritz the horses. It does help repel the small black biting flies, the horse flies are a different story.

 

[ArkRescue]

I created my own recipe of essential oils to use on ALL of us (humans and critters) and it works quite well - Clove is the only ingredient you listed that I don't have in my list - the others I use include: lemon Eucalyptus, peppermint, cedarwood, other stuff too - would have to check my recipe.

Oh yeah catnip oil works great but it's very expensive. Honestly I ended up spending just as much on the oils and make my own sprays as the better sprays cost so the advantage is merely you are using "natural" stuff vs. chemicals?

PLUS the spray does contain oils so you end up with that residue on the critters and yourself. I would rub it into my exposed body parts and then use Deet spray on my clothing .....

me too,
I think the horse flies this year have been ruthless. They must be some strange cross with vamire bat.........sheesh!

FYI,...for anyone intrested

Some herbs that have been used traditionally at the site of an insect bite or sting to reduce symptoms include:
• Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
• Stinging nettle ( Urtica dioica; Urtica urens)
• Tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)
• Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
• Plantain (Plantago major)

Some essential oils may help repel insects. Dilute the oil before applying; never apply pure oil directly. These oils include:
• Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)
• Clove (Eugenia caryophyllata)
• Citronella (Cymbopogon spp.)
• Neem oil or cream (Azadirachta indica)


I add some of these oils to diluted Apple cider vinegar and spritz the horses. It does help repel the small black biting flies, the horse flies are a different story.

 

[ArkRescue]

here we go- horse fly predators:

Horse guard wasp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and

Sand wasp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and I found instructions for building a trolling deer fly trap:

Trolling Deer Fly Trap

I want to know what preys on the horse and deer flies!! Because I want a @#%^load of them too! :O)

 

[CountryLady]

LOTS OF Herbs Used for Insect Repellent:

Basil * Bay Rum * Cajeput * Catnip * Cedar * Cinnamon * Clove * Dill * Eucalyptus * Feverfew * Garlic * Geranium * Hyssop * Lavender * Lemongrass * Neem * Patchouli * PennyRoyal * Peppermint * Rosemary * Rue * Sage * Sandalwood * Tansy * Tea Tree * Thyme * Vetiver * Wormwood *

The main ones I use are lavender, clove, teatree, eucalyptus, and applecider vinegar.

Here are a few sites with homemade recipies.

Fly Spray Recipes

Homemade Fly Spray Recipes

 

[CountryLady]

Also the stuff that I bought at elams that worked on everything except the mutant horse flys.

made by Absorbine
ULTRA SHIELD GREEN
natural fly repellent

active ingredients
thyme oil
cedar oil
lemongrass oil
rosemary oil
citronella oil
clove oil
geraniol
sodium lauryl sulfate


inert ingrediantes
water & glycerin.

can be used on horses, ponies, foals, and dogs

 

[CountryLady]

House flies don't bite, so I know its not them. I've seen some deer flies, but also some other types of "small" biting flies I'm not familiar with.

From Spalding labs: Background on the Biting Stable Fly

Stable Flies resemble House Flies with their dull appearance and their 4 dark stripes on the upper body. These flies are 3/16”-5/16” long. The abdomen has dark spots. “Checkerboard” markings are obvious on the topside of the abdomen. Stable Flies have a needle-like, stiff, piercing mouthpart that protrudes forward below their head.


does this sound like them?

Fly Predators do help control Stable Flies & Horn flies (both of which bite) and are an effective control tool if used properly.

 

[ArkRescue]

yup basically what I did was research the oils that had insect repelling properties, also looked at reviews of products that were rated well to see what they had in them, and I made my concoction accordingly - never really did much experimenting with different combinations of oils as I probably should have.

Also the stuff that I bought at elams that worked on everything except the mutant horse flys.

made by Absorbine
ULTRA SHIELD GREEN
natural fly repellent

active ingredients
thyme oil
cedar oil
lemongrass oil
rosemary oil
citronella oil
clove oil
geraniol
sodium lauryl sulfate


inert ingrediantes
water & glycerin.

can be used on horses, ponies, foals, and dogs

 

[Wait4It..boom]

here we go- horse fly predators:

Horse guard wasp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and

Sand wasp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Trolling Deer Fly Trap

Oddly I had some large "bee/horse fly" looking creatures that came out of holes in the ground near the fences. They would fly very low around the poop corner but then all swarm around the horse at random times, but never landed on them. The horses didn't seem to mind them either. They freaked me out though- I couldn't stand all the buzzing. I'm wondering if this was something similar. They were black and white but the size of a VERY large horse fly.

 

[ArkRescue]

Did it look like this?

bald-faced hornet

Oddly I had some large "bee/horse fly" looking creatures that came out of holes in the ground near the fences. They would fly very low around the poop corner but then all swarm around the horse at random times, but never landed on them. The horses didn't seem to mind them either. They freaked me out though- I couldn't stand all the buzzing. I'm wondering if this was something similar. They were black and white but the size of a VERY large horse fly.

 

[Colliegal]

Another solution ...

I am sorry that I am getting a chuckle out of this thread at your expense, and I don't mean to be sadistic! lol But, I do not have a problem with these flys at all! And, I am convinced it is because of my muscovy ducks around my stable and pond. They are voracious fly eaters. And, if you make them free-range for the majority of their food in the summer, you probably won't have a single fly around. I am serious about this! On top of that, they are very quiet birds and pretty amusing. Anyway, just had to post this.

 

[highnote]

I love my muscovies. Unfortunately the foxes at our farm are REALLY bad and keep thinning my flock. But yes, they do help with bugs and some flies (although they do not eliminate the problem).

 

[Phyxius]

We used to have two, too. We though they were regular ducks when we bought them as ducklings. Then, they turned white/black and then their heads turned red. And they only ever sort of hissed. We researched and found out that they were Muscovy ducks. We eventually gave them to a friend with a larger pond and two geese. I don't really remember them eating too many flies though.

I couldn't leave them free range, we have foxes that burrow just outside the fence line.

 

[ArkRescue]

I hope to have ducks one day, especially one like Stanley he's such a lover.

You must not have many fox around?

I am sorry that I am getting a chuckle out of this thread at your expense, and I don't mean to be sadistic! lol But, I do not have a problem with these flys at all! And, I am convinced it is because of my muscovy ducks around my stable and pond. They are voracious fly eaters. And, if you make them free-range for the majority of their food in the summer, you probably won't have a single fly around. I am serious about this! On top of that, they are very quiet birds and pretty amusing. Anyway, just had to post this.

 

[Wait4It..boom]

We have a number of foxes as well. I've heard tall-tales of the pond across the street from us. Some of the neighbors say very large turtles live in it (which I've seen this to be true). The story is the ducks won't last long because of the turtles. Said the turtles get them by their feet in the pond. Oddly, we only see a few ducks briefly each year.

 

[rabbithead]

I use to have ducks, but they were too messy. Lots of poo and seemed to draw more flies than they ate. The fox, possum and raccoons changed my mind about owning ducks, geese or chickens ever again. Even with a 22 just couldn't keep up with the preditors. And every time I put out a trap I would catch a skunk. Ever try to get a skunk out of a humane trap?

 

[highnote]

yes thats the catch22 with ducks, guineas, etc. Although they eat insects, their poo attracts insects! So it makes you wonder if it is really doing any good. If you get rid of the attractant, you get rid of a lot of the bugs.

I think that muscovy/guineas/etc are better at eating non-flying insects (rather than flying ones). They will catch flying insects that get stuck in a cage, coop, window, etc but rarely do I see them catch a fly in mid-air out in the open.

 

[ArkRescue]

Skunks USUALLY won't spray if they don't see you - so what you can do is take an appropriate sized feed bag and open both ends, slide the trap into the feed bag. When you catch the skunk just don't let them SEE you (cover the ends of the trap with towels/etc. You can then relocate the skunk or turn it into animal control or whoever handles them.

I use to have ducks, but they were too messy. Lots of poo and seemed to draw more flies than they ate. The fox, possum and raccoons changed my mind about owning ducks, geese or chickens ever again. Even with a 22 just couldn't keep up with the preditors. And every time I put out a trap I would catch a skunk. Ever try to get a skunk out of a humane trap?