For most of our customers the measure of good fly control is not having to use fly spray very often or at all. The comment "I didn't spray once this summer" is high praise to us and our goal for every customer.
But sometimes you have no choice but to use spray to protect your animals. This can be from being away from your property, dealing with other insects that Fly Predators don't control, the flies your neighbor sends over or simply catching up from wetter weather. We’ve always said it’s OK to spray, but do it appropriately.
So this year we are adding fly spray to our arsenal for fly control. We did this because, as when we added Fly Traps a few years ago, there is a need for good end user information on what to use, how to use and perhaps most importantly, how to not misuse fly spray. If you have to spray we want you to get the best results at the least risk.
There are basically two types of sprays; repellents that create a vapor barrier to keep bugs away and pesticides that kill insects if they come in contact with it.
Repellents - Our preference for a repellent spray is UltraShield® Green. It has only essential oils including Thyme, Cedar, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Citronella, Clove, Geraniol (from geraniums) and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (from coconut/palm oils). These smell nice to humans, but biting flies, mosquitoes & gnats really don’t like them and stay away.
Pesticides - Our preference for a pesticide spray is UltraShield® Red. We like this because it is the newest fly spray on the market (introduced in 2011), has more active ingredients (5) than others, and is effective against a very broad spectrum of nuisance insects. Just like a 2011 car is safer and gets better mileage than a 1980’s era car (when the majority of the top selling equine fly sprays were registered) the safety and efficacy requirements to register a pesticide today are much more stringent than before. UltraShield Red is also a premise spray for fly resting areas which means it can do double duty killing flies.
We also suggest using the very nifty "Mitt" for applying repellents/pesticides rather than only spraying. With the Mitt you’ll use less spray, you won’t be breathing it, and you won’t be getting it on your skin. The Mitt is very handy for apply repellent around your animals' eyes and its way smarter to do that, than spray your bare hand, then wipe that around your horse’s face. The Mitt is free with your first order of $80 or more of fly spray for the season.
More information is in the Fly Spray section.
Great news - I will be getting me some of this right now!