Flies are a major cause of discomfort and the spread of warm weather diseases in cows. Some flies torture your animals by biting. Non-biting flies irritate cow’s eyes often causing serious infections such as pink eye. They are attracted to wounds, complicating them with infections such as Mastitis. Flies also carry contagious diseases from one animal to another.
It sounds simple but overall sanitation is the most important and effective way to control flies. If you had no fly breeding sites you would have no flies developing at your facility. But what’s the chance of that with cows? Slim to none. So the best choice is to do the 20% of the work that will make 80% of the difference and let Fly Predators take care of the rest.
Believe it or not, flies are hard to raise. The insectary that produces our Fly Predators has to raise billions of flies to provide the hosts. And there are plenty of ways to screw up a batch of flies. Flies are very sensitive to moisture, temperature and diet. We strive to optimize their reproduction – you should strive to do the opposite. It’s not hard if you know their vulnerabilities.
Dr. Bill ClymerFort Dodge Animal Health, Dr. Roy EllisPrairie Pest Management, Dr. Kevin FloateAgriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Dr. Robert M. Miller, DVM, Dr. William QuarlesBio-Integral Resource Center. All illustrations 2006 Dr. Roy Ellis.