Winged Menaces
Pesky flies and mosquitoes — who needs them? Certainly not those of us who spend hours outdoors on the farm. Here are some ways to help keep them at bay.
Flies
1. LOSE the manure. Stable flies are drawn to manure and, in fact, breed in it, so keep stables and areas near your home as manure-free as you can. Spread or sell manure piled in the barnyard and pick up doggie doo in your yard.
2. KEEP CLEAN garbage cans and dumpsters, covered and as far away from doors and open windows as possible.
3. REPAIR window screens and doors to keep houseflies and mosquitoes out of your home.
4. TRY FEED-THROUGH PRODUCTS in your barn and stable. These contain chemicals, often cyromazine, that when fed to animals make their manure inhospitable to flies. For a natural twist, add apple cider vinegar to their drinking water at the rate of one cup of vinegar to 50 gallons of water.
5. EXPERIMENT, if you like, with commercial fly zappers such as repellent sprays, spot-on long-term insecticides, baited traps, sticky traps and fly strips. Keep in mind that they provide only temporary relief.
6. USE NATURAL CONTROLS such as fly predators and homemade herbal containers. Plant fly-repellent herbs in tubs on your patio, outside your tack room windows or alongside your chicken run. Good ones include tansy, lavender, mints, basil, lemongrass, rosemary, lemon thyme and sweet woodruff. Brew your own herbal fly sprays; there are hundreds of recipes you can access online.
7. CONSIDER GARLIC. An Italian study• found that garlic oil applied topically to human skin at a 1 percent dilution was 97 percent effective.
Commercial garlic products fed to horses can be effective, too. According to HorseIllustrated.com, “When fed regularly, garlic gives the horse’s sweat a slight aroma that seems to deter flies and biting insects.” But don’t feed garlic to cattle, dogs or cats. It’s toxic to these species. If fed to goats, it’s likely to flavor their milk.
Evaluation of repellent and anti-feeding effect of garlic oil ( Allium sativum) against the bite of phlebotomine sandflies Diptera: Psychodidae.
Mosquitoes
1. REMOVE MOSQUITO BREEDING GROUNDS. Mow grass and tall weeds and cut back shrubs and vines. Dump stagnant water from dog dishes, birdbaths and plant pots at least once a week and refill with fresh water. Eliminate water-holding breeding areas such as saggy tarps and old tires. Turn over unused wheelbarrows and children’s wading pools. Drain and replenish livestock tanks as needed.
2. IF YOU USE A FOGGER follow directions closely and direct it toward shady areas and plants where mosquitoes rest and hide during the day, avoiding areas where bees, butterflies, and fly predators congregate.
3. DON’T OVERLOOK HERBAL FIXES. According to the Annals of Internal Medicine (June 1998), an academic medical journal published by the American College of Physicians, plants whose essential oils repel mosquitoes for as long as two hours include citronella, eucalyptus, lavender, pine, cedar, verbena, geranium, peppermint, cinnamon, thyme, basil, garlic and allspice. Other sources add bergamot, lemon grass, rosemary, chamomile, tea tree, neem and cloves. However, don’t apply essential oils “neet” (straight from the bottle).
Blend a few drops with a small amount of carrier oil (almond, olive, even vegetable oil from the kitchen) to make a useful, wipe-on mosquito repellent.
— Sue Weaver