Spring Cleaning Facilities Leads to Better Fly Control
By Caitlin Richards
Spring-cleaning is a popular activity in most homes during this time of year. Producers should also consider some spring-cleaning of their own when it comes to their livestock facilities. Cleanliness not only prevents injury and disease among the herd, but it also prevents what is most likely a rancher’s No. 1 pest — flies.
“Keeping the areas around the livestock facilities clean is part of an integrated pest management system,” says Larry Hawkins, senior technical service veterinarian with Bayer Animal Health. “By controlling the vegetation, the resting habitat and cleaning up any spilled feed and the remnants of hay feeding, the breeding habitat for flies is kept to a minimum and that helps with overall fly control.”
Springtime is no doubt a busy time of year for ranchers. But it is important to take some time to clean up around facilities to further their fly control efforts. The primary area of focus for producers should be the vegetation. Houseflies and stable flies frequent tall vegetation and will breed in spilled feed and hay.
“Typically, those flies would be resting and digesting a meal in those locations,” Hawkins says. “So, they would go get a meal and then they would go to a resting location that is close by, often and frequently.”
When producers allow vegetation to get tall around their livestock facilities, they are cultivating fly habitat. In return, fly control becomes more difficult because of the lack of vegetation control.
Hawkins further explains that once stable flies get a complete blood meal they become more uncoordinated while flying, which prohibits them from flying very far. Therefore, they find a spot close by to rest and digest a little bit. Furthermore, if the landing spot is in decaying vegetation, stable flies may proceed to lay their eggs there as well. This makes the vegetation that has grown around a producer’s livestock facilities an ideal habitat for reproducing stable flies. Houseflies will also largely do the same.
Eliminating the vegetation around livestock facilities with some spring-cleaning can help prevent these ideal habitats altogether. The 2 primary methods for a producer to tackle the spring-cleaning task are spraying and shredding.
“What we are trying to do is minimize the problem areas where flies can rest, so we can more effectively control them,” Hawkins says. “Using both spraying and shredding methods together provides the most comprehensive control.”
Hawkins suggests that producers should first start with shredding or mowing down areas with tall vegetation. Producers should think about the areas along fence lines, idle equipment, feeders, tanks and pens that are excessively overgrown. Going in with a shredder or mower first knocks down the vegetation, decreasing the surface area for flies to land, which is important.
“It’s best to keep as many things to a minimum as we can,” Hawkins says. “The taller and more volume there is for the flies to come to is what makes the vegetation ideal. Additionally, the point of shredding weeds is to also minimize the amount of area that needs to be sprayed.”
Tall, dead vegetation is also an ideal resting environment for flies, Hawkins says. Therefore, going in with an herbicide spray first to manage the vegetation may not be the most effective approach. After the vegetation has died, it may still have a large volume to which the flies may come. And as previously mentioned, decaying vegetation is an ideal location for stable flies to lay their eggs.
With the volume of the vegetation diminished, fly control can be better managed throughout fly season with spraying. Producers can utilize spraying to manage 2 different aspects of fly control. First, producers can manage the vegetation by spraying with herbicides to reduce vegetation growth in the future.
“Once we have the vegetation under control, then we can manage what is left much more easily with sprays,” Hawkins says. “Around fence posts, outside of bunks, and along fencing, ranchers can go along with a residual spray to control those flies much better.”
Secondly, producers can use premise sprays and insecticides to eliminate flies altogether. While vegetation is a primary location for flies to rest, Hawkins explains that flies can rest on any object, including fence posts, cattle panels or the side of a feeder.
“Premise sprays are usually contact killers applied to a surface, such as a post or barn wall, so when flies come in contact with them, they die,” Hawkins says. “Wherever fly specks or resting flies are seen in the heat of the day, that’s a good place to apply some spray.”
Unfortunately for producers, re-application of premise sprays will be required. Hawkins says that most are very water-soluble, so they are washed off surfaces by rain and they are also broken down by sunlight.
Producers should refer to the labels on their products for specific instructions. However, most labels will suggest reapplication every 3 weeks or after a heavy rain. Of course, an increase in the number of flies on an object will also indicate that reapplication is needed.
For producers to effectively manage the area around their livestock facilities, start with spring-cleaning, but it doesn’t stop there. Depending on rainfall and the environment, ranchers will have to continue cleaning throughout the fall until the end of fly season. Producers may find some areas may need to be mowed again or sprayed again to continue effective fly control.
“One of the biggest challenges for producers will be understanding the need and what is expected to effectively treat their facilities,” Hawkins says. “Additionally, having access to equipment and hard-to-reach areas can be challenging for producers.”
If ranchers come across an extremely difficult area to manage, Hawkins suggests they evaluate what changes may need to be made in the facility to accommodate easier treatment and control.
Spring-cleaning is never what a producer wants to spend their time doing. However, taking the time to spring clean can make a difference in overall herd health and pest control management later in the summer.
By implementing this integrated pest management practice, producers may see a decrease in overall herd insecticide application, which not only saves them time but money, as well. With dollar signs in mind, making time for spring-cleaning may be easier to do after all.
Spring Cleaning Facilities is excerpted from the April 2018 issue of The Cattleman magazine.