Fight Nature With Nature: Natural Ways to Control Bugs Part 1

by Alayne Blickle, Horses for Clean Water

Ah, summer time is here at long last! Time to relax and enjoy the great outdoors with my horse. But what’s that? A horde of annoying mosquitoes covering my horse and me! And those biting flies, making my horse twitch and jump! Plus, all those flies in the barnyard are just disgusting!

Flies carry diseases and can quickly cause problems such as conjunctivitis in your horse’s eyes or an infection in a wound. Biting flies, mosquitoes and insects such as Cullicoidies (no-see-ums or punkies) can cause your horse a great deal of aggravation and complications due to itching.

As horse owners, we often wrongly believe we are destined to put up with flies and insects. In many parts of the Northwest, our mild winter weather causes a long and serious fly season, often lasting from March into late October. Other northern parts have notorious, intense insect seasons that rival few in ferocity.

Planning Ahead
Waste no time in planning your attack on the coming season’s flies and insects! In this series we will review some environmentally sensitive methods for reducing and managing the fly and insect population on your horse property, including reducing insect habitat, using beneficial insects, putting the local wildlife to work, and setting non-insecticidal traps. We will also include resources for more help on this topic. Use of these controls will help you reduce the amount of insecticide used around your farm and thus reduce your impact on the environment. Plus, having fewer flies and less chemicals will make your place healthier for you and your horses -- and more pleasing for your neighbors!

First off, no matter how much insect control you use, there will still be a certain amount of flies and bothersome bugs, particularly on those hot, sunny days. Regular applications of insecticide will still be necessary to control the insects in your area that bother your horses, especially for those individuals hypersensitive to insect bites. Consult your veterinarian for the type of fly spray they recommend and the frequency of application. You may choose to try some of the “greener” products out there that report to have less toxic chemicals in them or may be herbal based. A few individual horses may be allergic to the type of fly spray you use (even herbal ones), so you may wish to try a test patch first, perhaps on a hindquarter area. Be sure to read the directions on the bottle before handling and applying anything.

A wonderfully safe, effective, non-toxic and low-cost method of fly management for horses is a physical barrier: the fly mask. Most horses learn to appreciate them enough that they come to you to have their fly mask put on. Remember to remove the mask each evening and before riding.

Mosquitoes and West Nile Virus
With our continuing concern over West Nile virus, a constant vigilance against mosquitoes, the carriers of this deadly disease, is important. Preventing WNV begins with preventing them from reproducing, as well as following your veterinarian's recommendations for WNV vaccinations.

The very safest method of insect control for you, your horses and the environment includes reducing the breeding grounds for flies, mosquitoes and other insects: manure, mud, and stagnant water. A sound manure management program consists of picking up the manure in stalls and confinement areas on a regular basis and developing a composting or manure storage area. A simple cover or tarp helps prevent the nutrients from being washed off in the rain and contaminating the surface water, thus creating more stagnant water and mud. Gutters and downspouts on farm buildings divert clean rainwater away from animal confinement areas and greatly reduce the amount of water and mud insects can live in.

For farms, muddy pastures and paddocks are prime mosquito habitat. Reducing or eliminating these areas means you will minimize the number of places mosquitoes can lay their eggs and breed. Be sure to:

· Dump, scrub and refill all stock watering tanks at least once each week, or use fish that will eat the developing larvae.
· Check for clogged rain gutters (which may be pooling water) and clean them out.
· Check for containers and places where water may collect. At least once a week, empty water from flowerpots, pet water bowls, birdbaths, swimming pool covers, buckets, barrels, wheelbarrows, tarps and other similar areas.
· Remove old tires and other items that collect water. Be sure to check in places that may be hard to see, such as under bushes or around your home.
· Keep drains in wash racks clear and flowing.
· Cover rain barrels, cisterns or any other places where you store water.
· Drain or fill any stagnant puddles such as tractor ruts.

Having a good manure and mud management program for your property will help substantially reduce the nuisance insect population on your horse place. Next month we pick up with using beneficial insects and putting the birds and bats to work for you!

Happy Horsekeeping!
~Alayne