It has been a few months since we thought about those annoying little airborne pests…flies (mosquitoes qualify too but we will save plotting their demise for another time). We had one of those warm late winter days and while the temps were amazing, the flies started flying. Their revival was short lived, the next day it was snowing (Cleveland weather is the “best”) and the flies were back asleep. The reunion was brief, but my horses and I were reminded those flying parasites will not be asleep for long. My seasonal horse management skills need to “step-up” and look to controlling the fly population. Topical fly repellents are often the first products that come to mind when thinking about fly control; however, they are not the only means by which one can help reduce the negative impact of flies. Looking to Feed-Through Fly Control is a consistent and reliable way to significantly reduce or repel the fly population. There are two kinds of feed throughs, one is known as an IGR (insect growth regulator) often containing diflubenzuron and cyromazine and the others are consumable repellents designed to deter insects from the inside out. These products often contain garlic, apple cider vinegar, diatomaceous earth and or thiamine. Feed throughs can be thought of as the first line of defense against fly control as they help control and reduce the fly population before the use of topical repellents are needed.
The following are key features about different types of feed throughs that can help you make a better decision. The first and most important thing is that animal food grade commercially available feed throughs are safe for horses; when feeding pregnant/lactating mares or breeding stallions, consult your vet. Buggzo, Bug Away, Solitude IGR, SimpliFly, Bye Bye Fly, Equitrol II and FlyAway Garlic are all examples of feed-through fly controls.
Solitude IGR, Equitrol II and SimpliFly are insect growth regulators that work in manure but have to get there through the horse’s GI track. Diflubenzuron or cyromazine, the active ingredient in these IGR’s work by treating house and stable fly larva in the manure, stopping the development of the larva’s exoskeleton leading to the fly’s death. Killing flies in their larva stage not only removes one more annoying fly from the fly population but it stops the fly before it enters the breeding cycle. You can see reductions in the fly population in as soon as two to six weeks. The best time to start IGR feed-through treatments is in early spring but it can be started any time during fly season and should continue to be fed till cold weather limits natural fly activity. The best results are seen when feeding instructions are followed and all horses in the facility are treated.
Feed throughs are the first line of defense when managing the fly population and keeping your horse comfortable in fly season. There are many safe and effective options depending on your needs. IGR’s work well to stop the reproductive cycle of house and stable flies when treatment starts early in the season and all horses are treated. Garlic and vinegar-based feed throughs deter a variety of flying pests from the inside out and DE is effective, all-natural and known to kill a variety of pesky bugs.
