Fly Control Around
Concentrated Animal Facilities
Flies may be a nuisance, but they are also an economic concern due to transmission of disease, reduction in growth or production, and the threat of nuisance lawsuits. Generally, the plaintiffs in a nuisance suit cite odor, dust and flies together as constituting a nuisance.
Effective fly control cannot be achieved with insecticides alone. Proper manure management and sanitation must be the major element in a good fly control program. Here are some suggestions to keep in mind.
In concentrated animal feeding areas, major fly breeding/resting areas will be found along the edges. Look for problem areas, such as …
- fencelines where manure mixed with wet soil accumulates;
- the edge of feeding aprons where moisture and manure accumulate;
- edges of potholes, in pen corners, and around gates;
- along pen drainage channels or edges of holding ponds;
- wet areas around waterers;
- underneath feedbunks where stale feed accumulates;
- the bottom side of fence boards;
- in corners of feedbunks where stale feed accumulates;
- manure accumulation under fences/facilities in corral/animal handling areas;
- edges of stored manure and silage;
- edges around hay storage and damp areas under bales; and
- the edge between dark and light are good resting areas (halfway in a barn, underneath fences).
Flies cannot develop in dry materials.
- Use clean gravel and other fill to eliminate low spots in feedlots and drylot areas.
- Proper tiling can reduce wet barnyards.
- Cut weeds and control excessive plant growth around facilities. This will also reduce odor problems.
- Wet feeds: Various flies (e.g. stable fly) can develop in plant material, such as old silage in and around feed troughs and trench silos.
- Don't provide them crop residues, discarded in piles during and after harvest. Spread this material thinly for quick drying.
- Uneaten hay where animals are fed in the fields provides fly breeding areas.
- Uneaten grain in or around feed troughs (poor bunk management) or storage bins should be cleaned up on a regular basis.
Do a walk around: Each livestock unit is different, and fly breeding may be occurring in only two or three locations. However, since even small amounts of fly-breeding material can support large numbers of flies, these areas should be located and managed. I always like to look at the "gray areas" of a building (i.e., flies may rest in mid-part of barns more than in the dark areas or in full sunlight. Don't forget to look on the underside of fences.
Feedlot and drylot surface area management: Maximum stocking rates create tramping action that helps in drying. The lots also can be dragged periodically, which helps maintain a dry surface. During wet periods, the wet edges of the pen can be scraped into the lot in a thin layer to facilitate rapid drying.
When manure is collected below slatted floor pens, a crust occasionally occurs unless some type of agitation is provided. Houseflies may breed in the crust just below the surface.
Watering areas: Water tanks should be surrounded by a concrete apron. Float valves on waterers should be protected to prevent animals from causing an overflow and wet areas in proximity to the waterer.
The feeding area: Good bunk management means cleaning out the feedbunk, and the area behind the feeding apron should be scraped at about two weeks. This is a typical place for larger amounts of manure than other areas of the pen, and the apron usually has a slope away from the feedbunk and directs water to the edge of the hard surface.
How neat and dry are your feed piles? The seepage from fermented feeds (silage/haylage) provides an excellent fly-breeding site. Covering this seepage area with black plastic should create enough heat to kill the developing fly larvae.
Spreading manure: Care should be taken to spread the manure thin enough for rapid drying. If the manure is spread at depths of 3 to 4 inches or more and enough moisture is present, it may allow fly breeding.
Sanitation is a major part of a fly control program to prevent fly breeding. Nevertheless, it is often necessary to supplement sanitation practices with pesticides.
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