Horse Health USA: Create Your Own No-Fly Zone

Obviously, keeping flies off your horse is your ultimate goal. Fly control keeps him more comfortable and helps protect him against disease.

Zone 1 products include fly masks, sheets, leg guards, scrim sheets, fly sprays & spot-ons, lotions, sprays, and ointments.

Read all labels thoroughly before use and heed warnings; mix concentrates with the EXACT amount of water recommended.

Apply according to directions to the horse's head, face, neck, body, legs and tail.

Don't mix different kinds of fly repellents together.

Never apply repellents to sensitive mucus membranes (eyes, mouth, nostrils, vulva or penis).

Dampen hairs to the skin (but NOT to the point of runoff) for maximum effectiveness.

Do not treat above the eyes - if the horse sweats, the repellent can run into the eyes.

Don't apply repellents to areas under the saddle, pad, girth, bridle and boots as they trap heat and may cause a reaction.

Direct sunlight, heat and water vapor break down chemicals that repel flies, so don't leave your spray outside.

Keep your horse clean.

Fly control in the barn eliminates adult flies and prevents them from breeding. Flies breed in manure and other moist, decaying organic matter, so it's important to keep the barn area as clean as possible.

Zone 2 products include premise sprays, sticky traps, stable and barn sprays, and feed-thru fly control.

Use odor-free sticky traps to catch flies in your barn. Avoid using attractant traps inside your barn, as they will draw more flies to the area.

At night, flies congregate away from wind and draft, so be sure to treat areas like rafters and ceilings.

Treat fly resting places a week or two before flies become active to delay fly season in your stable.

When temperatures exceed 80°F, flies gather and feed on the floor, so put traps on the ground and treat floors with insecticides in warm weather.

Keep your stable and pasture clean and dry. Remove wet bedding promptly and replace with clean, dry bedding.

Clean/disinfect stall walls. Wash all stall-cleaning equipment (muck tubs, wheelbarrows, shovels). Scrub water buckets & feed tubs; clean sweaty tack; wash horse boots and blankets regularly, clean up hoof trimmings after shoeing.

Keep feeds covered. Don't let waste feed accumulate on floor.

Keeping outdoor areas clean, free of manure and other trash, eliminates fly breeding areas and helps keep populations down.

Zone 3 products include highly effective scatter baits. Plus, bag and jug traps, which attract and kill thousands of flies without insecticides.

Use attractant (jug type) traps on perimeter of property to draw flies away from the barn, patio, kennel or house.

Sprinkle fly bait in areas of heavy fly populations, away from children, livestock and pets.

Dispose of all fly breeding material including manure, used bedding, wasted feed and other organic matter.

If waste disposal isn't possible, treat manure and other waste with an effective larvicide to break the fly life cycle.

Keep paddocks and corrals clean and dry.

Scrub outside water troughs weekly.

Remove anything that could collect standing water and serve as a mosquito breeding ground.