It’s advisable for every animal caretaker to learn or know how to get rid of stable flies. As an animal caretaker, you should probably be familiar with the stable fly.
Stable flies are predatory flies that feed on the blood of humans and animals like horses or cows. Their bites are painful and leave behind irritative welts.
These flies are a particular problem for anyone raising livestock, and severe infestations can affect an animal’s health, weight, and production capability.
So, in this article, you will learn how to get rid of stable flies. So you and your animals can live with an improved quality of life.
What are Stable Flies?
Most of the Muscidae, some of which are well known as stable flies because of their synanthropic, can be found all over the world and in more than 100 genera.
There aren’t many synanthropic species out there. This includes predatory, hematophagous, saprophagous, and a variety of plant and animal exudate-eating adults.
They are drawn to sugar, perspiration, tears, and blood, among other substances. Carrion, decaying plants, dry and damp soil, nests of insects and birds, and freshwater are all places where larvae can be found.
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How to Identify Stable Flies
The first thing you should do in any pest control plan is to identify what exactly you’re dealing with. Carelessness in identification can lead to wrong treatment methods costing you time and money.
The stable fly is also known as barn flies, dog flies, lawnmower flies, or biting house flies. They are common pests during the late summer and fall months.
Stable flies look very similar to another common household pest, the house fly, but it’s important to tell the two apart and since they have different approaches to treatment, both flies are similar in color with dark stripes.
The thorax and dark spots on the abdomen, both have widely spaced apart, compound eyes and both grow to be about a quarter of an inch in length.
Those are the similarities these flies share, there is one major feature that sets the stable fly apart. Stable flies have pointed mouth parts that they use to pierce through skin and suck blood.
Both male and female stable flies feed off human, or animal blood. Houseflies don’t have this mouth part instead, they feed on decomposing organic matter by liquefying their food and slurping it up.
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Where to Spot Stable Flies
Once, you know what stable flies look like, check around your property to confirm their presence or find hot spots of activity.
Stable flies need moist, and decaying matter in order to breed and lay eggs in urban areas these can include animal droppings and compost, piles, garbage or even composts lawn clippings in rural areas.
Look for any animal waste around, hay bales, bedding, or spilled animal feed. When stable flies bite, it results in itchy welts,
Common sights on animals include the legs, ankles, stomach, and planks. Observe your animals for any signs of irritation like foot-stomping tail, swishing, or a consistent shaking of the body or head.
Read also:Â Easy Steps on How to Get Rid of Whiteflies
How to Get Rid of Stable Flies
After identifying, your pests and inspecting for activity on your property. It’s time to start treatment before starting any treatment, be sure to wear your personal protective equipment.
We recommend you wear full-body coverage to avoid chemical exposure and remember to keep all people and pets off the treated areas until dry.
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Natural Treatment
To get rid of stable fly. Using an integrated approach insecticide alone won’t be successful until you remove the conditions that allow pests to thrive.
- First, sanitize the area to minimize flies attractants.
- Old hay or straw bales should be removed and disposed of.
- Keep up with the normal maintenance of your fields by picking them up regularly.
- Regularly clean up any manure, hay bedding, or other deteriorating organic materials in any animal quarters or elsewhere on your property.
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The larvae cannot eat if the stable is allowed to air and dry fully.
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If you can’t get rid of the breeding ground, don’t worry. Stable fly predators, parasites, and their natural rivals may thrive in this environment.
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Stable fly eggs, larvae, and pupae may be attacked and eaten by these.
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You may also acquire parasitic wasps that will lay their eggs in the stable fly’s pupae, killing them.
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If the organic material, i.e. muckheaps, cannot be removed, dusting the sites with a larvicide will prevent any larvae there from maturing into adults.
Chemical TreatmentÂ
- Muckheaps can be sprayed with Maggots Granular Larvicide or sprinkled with Larvenol. Within two weeks, you’ll see a decrease in the number of stable flies.
- For mature stable flies, use the Glue Rolls from Digrain. Stable flies prefer to rest on vertical surfaces, which is why fly papers hung from hooks work so well at keeping them away.
- Farmers and equestrians can use Perbio Choc, the strongest oil-based ready-to-use insecticide on the market. Glue-coated fly sex pheromones are applied to the fly papers, which are then applied to the fly papers.
- Stable fly populations can be controlled by using insecticides in the places where the flies congregate. Your horses will be protected over the summer months thanks to its swift knockdown and three-month residual.
- You’ll need to apply a space-free application to treat flying pests and residuals to prevent flies from establishing themselves.
- On any surface, we recommend you use a combination of Flex 1010. Flex 1010 is a pyrethroid with a long-lasting residual that contains 10% Permethrin and 10% Pimpernel butoxide.
- You want to apply these products with an ulv fogger so you can treat the air and any surfaces in one application to treat stable flies.
- Mix Flex 1010 at a rate of 64 fluid ounces of product per 55 gallons of water to yield. The labeled 0.09% concentration, that’s required for stable flight control.
- The particles will disperse through the air and settle onto any surfaces in the vicinity when applying to shrubbery, be sure to treat over and underneath the leaves.
- Before treating animal quarters, vacate the area and do not allow animals back in until the application dries completely.
- Flex 1010 can be applied in dairy and beef farms, poultry houses, swine housing, warehouses, zoos, and other labeled animal housing.
- Do not apply to expose feed and do not treat cat weddings. Stable flies that make contact with the ball fog will die quickly when the product dries, it will leave a residual that lasts for 90 days.
How to Prevent Stable Flies
Prevention is essential to keeping pests in check, even after you’ve applied pesticides, the best way to stop pest activity is to prevent it from happening.
- To stop stable flies from infesting, you’ll need to regularly clean your property of any animal droppings or other organic matter to ensure.
- They can’t breed since tall vegetation produces shade and is conducive to moisture problems.
- Regularly mow your lawn.
- Break away leaves and pick up other debris to encourage water evaporation and avoid mold.
- Make sure your trash cans seal properly and store them away from your home and the whole animal housing.
Conclusion
Stable flies are annoying biting flies that primarily target animals but there are ways to control an infestation that’s gone out of hand with these professional products and tips you can stop stable fly from infesting your property.
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