13 Fly Control Methods to Protect Your Barn and Pasture (2024)

Hands up if you think one of the most annoying things you put up with in summer is flies. If you are annoyed by flies, spare a thought for your livestock. They can be harassed. In some cases, like with horse flies, they’re bitten constantly, leaving horrible wounds.

Flies in barns and pastures are a common problem that can be overwhelming, but there are ways to control or minimize the problem.

If you are looking for fly control solutions, sit back and read how to get revenge on flies at your homestead. It’s time for an all-out war against flies.

6 Common Fly Types in Barns and Pastures

There are many types of flies that can be found in barns and pastures, so it pays to know what you are battling. This can vary significantly between areas, weather, and humidity.

It’s important to note that there are many other flies you could have in your barn or pasture, so it makes sense to find out what is in your area. Talk to your neighbors.

You should also be aware that you will never eliminate flies, but you can minimize them to a large degree and make them less of a nuisance.

Let’s look at some common types of flies before discussing fly control. This is necessary because sometimes the type of fly and the response to them are different.

1. House Flies

Musca domestica, the common housefly, is an annoyance on many levels. They are found in and around stables, barns, sheds, and homes. You’ve no doubt shooed them off your dinner, smashed them on your walls, and brushed them off you.

Due to the fact the common fly feeds by vomiting on its food to liquefy food matter, it transmits disease and pathogens. They’ve been known to transmit multiple diseases, including typhoid and tuberculosis. They transmit diseases to our animals, too.

You will find house flies anywhere there is manure, garbage, or decaying matter. House flies are known as filth flies, blowflies, and bottle flies because they reproduce in garbage, rotting organic matter, and food waste.

Almost everyone deals with house flies, so fly control will almost always need to address them.

2. Stable Flies

Stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans) are blood-sucking flies you’ll often find on horses, cattle, chickens, or other livestock. They cause pain with their vicious bites and they transmit disease. They also bite humans and you’ll know it if you’ve been bitten. It hurts!

Check for stable flies on their legs if you see your livestock kicking and stomping. They resemble house flies but are a bit smaller.

They will lay their eggs in wet straw, decaying matter, or spilled feed left to absorb moisture.

3. Face Flies

Face flies (Musca autumnalis) are related to and look like house flies. They don’t bite, but they feed on secretions on the face of livestock, especially around the eyes, nose, and mouth. The female lays eggs in cow manure.

4. Horn Flies

Horn flies (Haematobia irritans) are little flies found in pastures, particularly around cows, sheep, goats, and horses. They congregate on the back, sides, and shoulders of the animal.

They suck their blood and stay on it 24/7 unless the livestock manages to disrupt it or lay eggs in cow manure.

5. Biting Midges

These tiny little flies in the family Ceratapagonidae are often called sandflies or no-see-ums. They can appear in large numbers and are best seen at dusk, lit by the fading sun.

They lay eggs in moist areas because their larvae are semi-aquatic. Their bite can cause skin irritations in livestock.

6. Horse and Deer Flies

Deer flies (family Tabanidae) are large flies with big eyes that they use to find the animal. The females feed on blood during the day. They have an excruciating bite, and the wound site is bloody and inflamed. If you’ve ever been bit, it’s not an experience you want to repeat.

The fly only lands for a short time to feed, so it can be hard to identify if you have a problem with them. The wound site on your livestock is key for identification.

7 Fly Control Methods in the Barn

Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet when it comes to controlling flies in the barn. It’s going to take a lot of work. The best tip out of all is good barn hygiene. Remove the manure, spilled food, and soiled material regularly. Don’t give flies what they are attracted to.

Don’t wait for flies to become an issue in the heat. Start your prevention methods very early in the season before flies become active, regardless of which method or methods you choose.

Let’s talk about manure first.

1. Manure Management

The less manure in the barn, the better. Keep the whole area, including stalls, free of manure as much as possible. Some flies consider animal manure food; others like laying eggs in it.

Muck out as much as possible. This includes urine-soaked bedding such as straw and hay. You will not be able to succeed at fly control if you don’t tackle manure.

Keep the muck pile away from the barn, and compost it properly if possible. Done right, compost will be too hot for flies to lay eggs in it.

2. Traps and Tape

Try to lure flies away from the barn before they enter. You can use a variety of traps and tapes by placing them away from the barn. The flies will get trapped or stuck to the tape and not make their way inside.

You still have to maintain hygiene inside the barn, or that aroma may be more attractive to flies than the traps and bait.

You can also use these inside the barn as well. As a natural form of fly control, traps can be highly effective.

3. Housekeeping Practices

Apart from animal waste products, flies also love garbage, spilled feeds, and standing water. Fly control involves denying them access to the things they prefer.

Eliminate their choices by cleaning up any feed that is spilled or uneaten. Store feed in containers that you can seal tightly. Even if you have no animals in a barn and just use it for storage or as a workshop, animal feeds have a sweet smell that attracts flies.

Any garbage bins should be emptied daily so there is no build-up of smells or anything flies are attracted to.

Mop away any water spills and make sure there are no leaking hoses or dripping taps. Standing water can become a breeding ground for flies.

Scrub water buckets and troughs before refilling. Flies are attracted to the slimy film that forms in dirty animal water.

4. Fans

Ceiling fans and directional fans go some way to disrupting the fly’s ability to land on livestock or other things such as bedding or garbage. On scorching days, you can angle directional fans over areas that may be more attractive to flies, such as stalls.

Sometimes, opening barn doors allows for a breeze sufficient to annoy the flies. Fans alone won’t be effective fly control, but they can be a good addition.

5. Premise Sprays

This is an option if you have fly issues in the barn, but aren’t keeping animals in there all the time. Some premise sprays are okay for animals in small quantities, but they may be harmful if the animal is exposed all day and night.

If you stable horses at night and turn them out during the day, you can spray right after they leave and it will be safe to bring them back in at night.

Use these thoughtfully and read the instructions carefully before applying. They’re effective fly control, but they have to be used appropriately.

You can purchase small domestic-sized premise sprays to spot treat areas. You can also buy large systems that use a reservoir and a tubing system to regularly apply a mist of spray.

Some premise sprays repel flies from entering barns and others kill the flies on contact. Use sprays approved for barn use, or hire a contractor.

6. Animal Sprays

Treating the livestock in the barn is an effective way to control and minimize flies. Seek advice from an experienced person or a veterinarian on which type might work best in your area and on your animal.

Treatment depends on the flies in the area, the size of the problem, and the livestock in the barn.

7. Fly Covers

Depending on the animal, there are covers and protective gear you can use. For horses, fly sheets and fly masks can be incredibly effective and they don’t require the use of any chemicals.

For local protection, belly guards and fly boots can cover vulnerable areas.

On bad days, you can combine covers with sprays for extra protection.

6 Fly Control Methods for the Pasture

The best tip is to start early with your control strategies. Begin your fly control techniques well before they become a problem, and you’ll have a much better chance of keeping everything under control.

1. Manure Management

As with barns, manure control in a pasture is essential. The less manure there is, the fewer flies. Manure control isn’t easy if you have a big area, but you won’t be able to reduce fly numbers if you don’t.

Use a manure spreader to spread and thin the manure out. This will make it dry out quicker, and it will be less attractive to flies.

Use a harrow and tractor or other farm vehicle, depending on the size of the pasture. It will feed the pasture and destroy fly eggs and larvae too. On small pastures, you can pick the manure with a manure fork.

Compost that manure and then re-use it around the garden or sell it to neighbors. Don’t worry, flies won’t be breeding in the compost pile. Composting manure is warm, so it kills any fly eggs.

2. Use Fly Predators

This is such a fun project. You can purchase bugs that are predators of flies, but don’t bother humans or animals.

The predators are usually parasitic wasps that lay eggs in the fly pupae. This means you are preventing the flies from reproducing, and there are some reports that the use of parasitic wasps reduces fly numbers by as much as 50 percent.

For this natural, chemical-free method, you place an order, and you’ll receive pupae in the mail. Depending on the company, you let them sit for a bit, and when they begin to hatch, you place them in areas like manure piles where flies lay their eggs.

The predator wasps eat the pupa of flies.

The trick is that you need to buy the right kind of species. Some parasitic wasps feed on moths or other insects rather than flies. That won’t do you any good! You also need to pick species that can survive in your area. Chat with your local extension for tips.

Muscidifurax raptor wasps are generally effective in most parts of North America and work well on numerous kinds of flies. Pick up a pack of them by NaturesGoodGuys at Amazon.

Don’t allow free-ranging chickens nearby, though, because they will eat the predator pupae.

3. Remove Rotting Vegetation

Remove dead and dying vegetation, especially in hot areas with high humidity. The rotting and slimy matter will attract flies in huge numbers.

At the end of the growing season, clean up any beds in or near your pastures. If the grass in the pasture dries up in the fall, don’t worry about cleaning up. But if it turns soft or mushy, it should be cleaned up. Rotting weeds should always be removed.

4. Control Standing Water

Deal with areas of pasture where water pools and stands. Many fly pupae or larvae are semi-aquatic, and even moist areas are sufficient for laying eggs. Moisture combined with urine and manure is a perfect recipe for flies.

It’s a life-long challenge to deal with standing water in some areas, especially if you have clay soil or are in a flood zone. Digging channels and filling areas can help move water out of the pasture and help reduce flies.

5. Animal Based Treatments

Treating livestock is effective but requires planning and knowledge.

There are feed additives that go through the animal’s digestive system, preventing the ability of fly larvae to develop in the manure.

Sprays, spot treatment, and oral treatments can be used, making the animals unattractive to flies. These have a short lifespan, so they shouldn’t be used in addition to other solutions.

Insecticide ear tags can be used to protect animals, but this depends on the livestock in your pasture. These are typically reserved for cattle.

6. Covers

Animals outdoors can be covered to protect them from flies. The same kinds of fly sheets, fly masks, fly boots, and belly guards that you use indoors can be used outdoors to protect your animals.