Flies can be irritating and annoying for both horses and horse owners! There's many species in Australia but we only really come into contact with four groups: the bush fly, house fly, blowfly, and the mosquito. They can carry diseases and can create other secondary issues...
Flies
Some, like the bush fly, come from eggs laid in animal poo. They hatch into larvae, which feed off the poo, and then pupate in a cocoon like a butterfly.
The fly species that are common pests in Australia are:
- Blow fly (Bluebottle)
- House fly
- Bush fly
- Cluster fly
- Drain fly
- Fermentation fly
- Flesh fly
- Fruit fly
- Lacewings
- March fly (Horse fly)
Treatment
There are many things you can do to treat flies and insect bites, but the first thing is to try and deter them if possible! If your horse is prone to fly bites or other insect irritation your first step is to cover your horse in a light cotton or shade cloth type horse rug and neck rug during the worst part of the biting season. Fly boots that cover the legs are also an option.
As you head towards the insect season have a try of my anti-parasitic spray ‘Midge-A-Way’ applied topically to repel the insects. Midge-away has been developed in response to the increasing demand to have insect repellents that are 100% chemical free.
Cajeput oil is an essential oil that is steam distilled from the twigs and leaves of the cajeput tree and the paperbark tree. Native to Australia, it is in the same family as the tea tree. Cajeput oil is a powerful insect repellent.
