For most animal owners manure management is THE most important variable in any fly control program simply because this is the largest single source of (from a House Fly’s perspective) the good stuff.For most animal owners manure management is THE most important variable in any fly control program simply because this is the largest single source of (from a House Fly’s perspective) “the good stuff.”

There are three typical programs that can be used to help control flies:

  1. Daily collection of fresh manure and spreading it thinly on crop and grassland areas. If spread properly within a very few days over a wide area, fly attraction and control is seldom a problem in areas that receive little moisture during the summer.

  2. In areas that receive regular summer rains, more preferable is to collect the manure frequently and stockpile it in a compost pile. If properly constructed, there will be very little if any pest flies breeding in the compost pile. The decomposition of manure generates substantial heat and reduces the suitable fly breeding area to the outer 6” of the pile. If necessary, cover the pile with black plastic to increase decomposition.

    Periodically, composted manure can be applied to yards, gardens or pastures for disposal and to increase the soil condition and fertility.

  3. Perhaps the most common method, but least optimal, is pen and corral cleaning only after fly and odor problems have gotten out of control and your neighbors (or spouse) have been complaining for weeks. In this scenario, releasing extra Fly Predators can postpone, but not eliminate, the inevitable.

    Clean stalls, corrals, paddocks, cattle pens, drainage areas, loafing sheds, feeding aprons, spilled feed, pet droppings and other decaying organic matter at no more than a 7 day interval to minimize fly breeding. This is because House Flies take a minimum of 8 days to emerge at optimum summer time temperatures. Daily pickup is preferred, but if you remove those pupae before the flies have emerged, the difference can be enormous.

    In commercial facilities, liquid wastes can be pumped from holding pits in the spring or fall, to be spread over or injected into fields. Spread manure from a compost pile or pit in the spring, as soon as the fields are dry enough to travel on with spreading equipment. In the fall, after harvest is complete, is the second best time. Pick a time when weather conditions are cool to reduce both nutrient loss and odor problems, which is helped by immediately incorporating the manure into the soil.