AGRICULTURAL NEWS - After the recent Farmer’s Weekly article on Stomoxys, fly control expert Jenny van der Hoff visited my farm to explain some practical aspects of fly control. She looked around and pointed to a large pile of open sacks containing manure that had been cleaned out of the stables. Each bag was hatching fly pupae in the collected manure, she said. The sacks are collected every second or third week by a local garden compost manufacturer. Closing the bags will start the composting process and also prevent hatched flies from escaping.

Warm and damp
Fly Catchers
Jenny also suggested that, if you use a deep litter system in stables, composting should be promoted and the surface regularly sprayed with probiotics. Leftover hay, and lucerne, in particular, tramped into the bedding, is a breeding ground for Stomoxys flies. Sweeping up excess hay is therefore vital in the barn where hay is stored, and bales should be stacked on palettes. Jenny then showed us the ‘dry’ fly catchers she’s developed, and which will usually be functional for the full fly season.

A recipe for fly bait is supplied when you buy the catcher. The ingredients include commercial fly bait, flour, molasses and yeast. After mixing these with 2l hot water, the bait is fermented for about a week, then diluted with 3l cold water. Each fly catcher is baited daily with about 50ml of the mixture. The catchers should be placed at least 5m to 10m away from the stables, to make ‘bait odour hotspots’ that will lure flies away from your horses.