The Flies May do Me In

[BlueJammies]

Hello

I have found an amazing fly parasite and have been using them for 4 years nows and get a great result!
Here is the link: http://www.sourceecofly.com/FlyRaptors.html

It does take a couple of weeks for the parasite population to catch up with the fly population and get them
under control.

Hope this helps.

 

[cgmccary]

Hello

I have found an amazing fly parasite and have been using them for 4 years nows and get a great result!
Here is the link: http://www.sourceecofly.com/FlyRaptors.html

It does take a couple of weeks for the parasite population to catch up with the fly population and get them
under control.

Hope this helps.

I have successfully used these tiny parasitic wasps too for 7 years and have very little fly problem; they work really well. I used them when I lived in the city and now that I am in the country. I order mine each year from Arbico:

http://www.arbico-organics.com/category/fly-control-program/100

I always struglle where to put them where the chickens won't find and eat them. I have been lately placing them in the hole of cinder blocks and covering with poop making sure ther isn't an ant bed there. When I was in the city I combined with the fly eating nematodes because I had to absolutely control the flies. In combination, the flies are almost eliminated entirely. Churchill Downs uses them to control flies around their horse stables.

 

[Kassaundra]

I have successfully used these tiny parasitic wasps too for 7 years and have very little fly problem; they work really well. I used them when I lived in the city and now that I am in the country. I order mine each year from Arbico:

http://www.arbico-organics.com/category/fly-control-program/100

I always struglle where to put them where the chickens won't find and eat them. I have been lately placing them in the hole of cinder blocks and covering with poop making sure ther isn't an ant bed there. When I was in the city I combined with the fly eating nematodes because I had to absolutely control the flies. In combination, the flies are almost eliminated entirely. Churchill Downs uses them to control flies around their horse stables.

The one site I read said you had to keep re apppying the insects every 2 - 4 weeks through the "fly season" (between frosts spring and fall) do you need to keep buying them for real that often or was that a sales ploy?

 

[cgmccary]

The one site I read said you had to keep re apppying the insects every 2 - 4 weeks through the "fly season" (between frosts spring and fall) do you need to keep buying them for real that often or was that a sales ploy?

Yes, I receive a monthly shipment (I buy as a package deal once per year). It is not a ploy; you want to build them up -- I have noticed that you must watch out for the ants (and chickens!) eating the pupae-- The chickens will wipe out the pupae if they can get to them.

In years when flies have been real bad (twice), I have phoned in & made it a larger order in mid-summer. I receive here in Alabama (my zone) from February - October -- every 4 weeks. I don't have to use anything else for fly control (except I have a couple of bat houses on my barns which are occupied by big brown bats & I let the chimney swifts nest in my house chimney each season (-- they haven't arrived from Peru yet). I discovered when I lived in the city that I had a roost of big brown bats in the louvres in my attic. I researched and found they could eat thier body weight a night in flying insects. I bought bat houses in the city and put them up & did the same when I moved to the country. I have also noticed I have several species of flycatchers nesting on my farm. These are welcome too. I do not use any pesticides (except for tick control on the dogs) as I keep honeybees as well. I also do not have a tick problem on the premises as the chickens clean these out -- it is just that the hounds go in the forest and pick up ticks daily.

I have one of those solar fly traps, but found I did not need it (plus the bait really smells).

 

[Sunnysimplelife]

They don't sting do they? I have a daughter allergic to bee and wasp stings.

 

[BlueJammies]

No stinging, they are night flying and completely unoticable to humans. They are about the size of a large aphid about 1/8" or less.
Check out the website: www.Sourceecofly.com

I just got my 4th shipment of them so will be putting them around in a couple of days ....will try to post some pics of the process.
Very simple to use and it only takes about 5 min to put them around the yard, I have four small wire cylinders that I fill with the pupae, and
I move the cylinders around the property to get a good distribution/population going.

It also helps if you have dropping boards in your coop, and remove all wet/fresh chicken poop daily to keep the flies down.

Hope that helps.

 

[Sunnysimplelife]

Thanks I will order some today. I do clean run and coop daily. I notice more in the grass and planter. I might have to water less.