“Since we started using Spalding Fly Predators we have seen a dramatic reduction in our fly numbers. We also benefit from the helpful and educational service that Spalding provides.”
—Darby Holmes Dairy Unit Manager, Chico State University, Chico CA
Fly Predators are not a magic “new” fly control product. They are perhaps nature’s original fly control. You almost certainly have some of the species that are included in our Fly Predator® brand beneficial insects already working for you on your property unless you have been spraying extensively. They’re part of the reason you aren’t literally knee-deep in flies. You may have way too many flies, but without these good bugs, it would be far worse.
When left in a natural state only 2% to 4% of fly eggs usually survive to the pesky flying stage. A big part of this high mortality rate is Fly Predators, which are parasites. By simply increasing the ratio of Fly Predators to pest flies you can dramatically suppress the flies. They do the work and you enjoy the benefit.
There’s no downside as the Fly Predators do not bother either people or animals. A key benefit is you stop flies before they have a chance to reproduce. A 4% survival rate means you’ve got around 15 new flies coming for every one you see today as each female fly can lay up to 900 eggs.
That’s why controlling flies by attacking just the adults with sprays, baits, traps, etc. is almost always a losing battle. You are also only addressing at most 15% of the fly population. The other 85% hasn't gotten to the adult stage (and are not affected much or at all with those products) so there will always be more flies to fight next week and the week after, etc., all summer long. By contrast, Fly Predators break the fly’s life cycle so you fix the problem, not just treat the symptoms.
There is also no chance that pest flies will develope resistance to Fly Predators as they have to every pesticde introduced to date.
Can Fly Predators alone control every dairy, feedlot or range cattle’s fly problem all by themselves? They could, but you’d need more Fly Predators than if you combined them with smart manure management and eliminating other fly breeding areas as those are the major factors affecting your fly population.
One of the most significant differences between Spalding Labs and other fly control vendors of all types, is the vastly better information we provide that explains how to prevent flies with Fly Predators and manage your farm to make the fly breeding areas less productive. Do this before "fly season" and you can achieve the optimum results all summer with the fewest Fly Predators possible.
We can also still help if prevention wasn't part of your program at the begining of warm weather and now you have a boatload of flies. It's possible to "catch up" once the flies are at unbearable levels. But it’s more work and more money and you'll have more flies than if you prevented them in the first place. For this you will need fly traps and perhaps fly bait to start. Either way being more “fly savvy" can make a big difference for your family and your cows.