“Hey Stacy. How about a poll? What is the most effective fly spray out there right now? Anyone got a special mix they are using? I need to control/repel mosquitoes, horn flies, deer flies, and the occasional horse fly.”-Carla V.
How about it? What do you use to control flies around your horses? What flies are a problem for you?
Do you use feed through or spray on or both?
Mud: the all natural fly repellent.
Water based? Oil based? All natural?
Please, leave a comment and help us all learn what you use and why.
Feel free to use product names and what you think the product works best for. Do you like it because it stays on a long time or because it controls mosquitoes? Details, please!
Updated 7/3/2019:
As of July 3, 2019, this post has 183 comments. If you’re interested in people thoughts on fly sprays…read comments below! This post was originally published on June 11, 2017
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CLAC Deo, natural and effective
Pyranah has worked great for me.
Ultra Shield. I live in NH and tried all of the all natural stuff and nothing works. I use it on myself and my horse. He’s not a horse that likes his ears messed with and knows EXACTLY what Swat looks like and smells like so I spray my hands with the Ultra Shield and put it on his ears and face like I would with a small child. Works great! I use it once a wk and after it rains.
We live in North Texas. We also have five horses and have cattle on 3 sides. I have found the best fly control is clean stalls and pastures and fly predators. Also we use a daily water based spray, Bronco. We also use an oil based bi-monthly spray. This one two punch seems to work well.
Hi! I live in Tx Hill country between Austin and San Antonio. We use fly predators I also use Piranah mixed with Skin-so-soft from Avon.. works great !and lasts for a good two days! Its very oily combo, but works.
For at home, Trap N Toss fly traps are incredible. I add some hamburger in with the fly pheromone and every 2 weeks that traps are full. That means 10,000 flies gone! I put up 6-7 at a time. I have done predators and the Trap N Tosses, but I think the Trap and Tosses are sufficient by themselves! I hang them in the sun on a fence post with hay string about 10 inches off the ground. Especially in moist or high traffic areas. It will blow you away how many flies it catches!
I live in New England and this year has been horrible for flies. I use fly predators but the flies were still bad (our neighbors recently acquired horses which could be the reason the fly predators didn’t work as well this year)so I was also using Farnum Wipe but one of my horses started losing her hair so I stopped, appears she was allergic to it. I switched to fly armor that you can attach to their mane. I also use fly masks. Nothing seems to really work this year.
I alternate Farnam Tri-tech 14 and Mosquito Halt. Mosquito Halt works for the flies and mosquitoes and smells great, but the advantage of Tri-tech is it has sunscreen. I buy 2 gallons every summer and refill the sprayers. I haven’t found anything that last more than 1 day in the Va humidity. The thing I don’t like about an oil based spray is it seems that dirt sticks to the horse quickly and has to be washed off.
I like Zonk-it, from Cut Heal. It is long-lasting; applied to a reasonably clean horse, it provides protection for 4-6 days. It has a pleasant aroma, and can be used on pets too. I apply it to faces using an inexpensive foam brush, found in stores that sale paints. The brush is soft to faces, & keeps the solution off of my hands. I usually have to order Zonk-it from a catalog (Stateline usually has the best prices) as my small local stores don’t carry it.
I love Zonk It! It does smell good. But the price has really gone up and it has been hard to find in our area.
Hi… My mare has sensitive skin/ Sweet Itch. I really like Zonk It/ no skin reactions. We also use a freestanding fly trap, Horse Pal, in the field… amazing product !! bkd, New Hope, PA.
Piranah, probably one of the more expensive, but it works. Not for more then a couple of days but it kills and keeps them on contact and seems to last a day or two. Oil based so it does attract a lot of dirt and dust but I’d rather have a horse covered in a layer of dust then fly bites. We’re in East San Diego county. Sadly there isn’t one awesome single solution. The best solution is a combination of proper fly management using products that work well for your situation such as fly predators, feedthroughs and sprays. The most effective solution is probably going to be one the utilizes all three.
I personally think none of them work in our New England humidity. Endure might have the edge of the ones I’ve tried. Honestly I think they are a waste of money. I use the Smart Bug off feed through and that helps one of my horses who reacts to multiple bug bites.
I use absorbine fly spray in the black bottle. It works best in this area. I am on the coast.tons of mosquitos and gnats. I’ve tried most of them. I like Pyranna also.
Absorbine Ultra Ex. I live in Fl. and this stuff works…Also Fly Rid spot treatment. It gets a little pricey for 3 horses though. I swear by both of these.
I am southwest of Houston – very humid and very hot!! Where I board, the barn manager puts out Spalding Fly predators. I don’t think she does it quite right (according to pkg directions – I bought it myself for a couple months) but it still helps. I also use Simpli-fly feed thru system — this helps A LOT!! Riley’s stall consistently has no flies at all when the main barn seems to be over-run (over-flown?? Ha!!). I also use a fly mask and spray. In this humidity and heat, NONE of them last more than one day! I’ve tried about 6 different brands – pricey to cheap. So, since I do it everyday, I go with the cheap, or whatever I can find a coupon for!
I use fly predators and have for the last 10 years. Everyone who visits remarks on how few flies are around the 6 acres. In April (FL) I start the fly catchers, bury the mess and start again. For daily spray I try many ingredients. Begin with vinegar, water, very little SOS, and essential oils. Citronella, catnip, eucalyptus. Sometimes a splash of Repel. Mostly harmless to me and the horses.
I had a huge reaction on my OTTB after using Endure sport; but the Quarter horse tolerates it well, so it didn’t go to waste. The TB also breaks out with the piranha oil based. Nothing really works for too long
The best working fly spray I’ve found is Eqyss Magnolia fly spray. It works great but doesn’t last a long time. But the best thing about it is that it is safe to use on and around wounds. It is expensive but worth it when you have an animal that has a wound (open or repaired) that you need to keep the bugs out of.
I rotate between Pyranna and Endure. But I like Pyranna more. We have the really big horse flies, deer flies, and lots of annoying house flies.
We usually use Pyranha Fly Spray and Predators. We tried going without the little Predators this year and we are really paying for it! Our fly spray costs have tripled and we are still over-run… Back to the combo ASAP!
Location: Southern CA
If you have a dry climate (Im in AZ) diatomaceous earth sprinkled where the flies breed will help a lot. It must be reapplied after it rains and dries out.
I have used Tri Tec from Farnam for years in the NW because it’s in budget and truly can last up to 14 days if not heavily sweating or bathing. When I moved to AZ I bought it of course, my horse was the only one of the 14 at the place not covered by the next day after our morning workout and shower. Yup, it a still that good.
https://www.facebook.com/DaisyMayEssentials these products are amazing all natural and the Midge Magic works wonders and last for 2-3 weeks it is oil based but ALL NATURAL…..SHARE THE SITE…………….FREE SHIPPING AND MONEY BACK IF NOT HAPPY.
Thanks melody….just ordered the Midge Magic.
I butter up their legs, udder, face and ears with SWAT then spray Ultra shield elsewhere. When its too bad, i hose them so they roll and cover themselves in dirt!
Buttered up with Swat. I use ⅓-½ a jar every other day, its fantastic!
I like Endure and Repel X. Bronco is horrible, you can soak your horse in it and the flies still bother them.
I live in Maine and this year was the worse year ever for deer flies and horse flies as well as yellow jackets etc. Ive tried so many brands and tried all natural etc. It makes trail riding unpleasant for both horse and rider…I havent tried Pyrana a
nd not sure Ive even ever seen it..but will be looking for it!!
I use feed-through, spray and fly sheet. Bugs in Northern VA can be really bad. The feed-through I use is BugCheck, and it’s awesome! Not a cure-all, but when I watch Yankee in the pasture, even without anything else, the amount of shaking, stomping and tail switching from him is significantly less than from the horses in the next pasture. There’s two kinds of bugs that persist though – horseflies and midges. He wears the fly sheet to protect from the horseflies, it has a belly band to protect him from the midges. I use spray (currently Endure) on the bits the sheet doesn’t protect. He was close to developing sweet itch, this threeprong approach has helped tremendously.
We have also used Fly Predators with good success. Since we have 14+ horses to spray – we try to stay away from the more potent sprays – however Endure has worked well for us also. We are currently using Nature’s Defense (citronella based) and it is okay. Had great luck with the all natural Equiderma spray but it is quite expensive.
https://www.facebook.com/DaisyMayEssentials
I have used the natures defense and it only works for a few hours after completely saturating the horse. if you don’t saturate the flies still come and land. i have one horse and if i used it everyday one bottle is gone in a couple days. I asked Farnam if they would send me samples of their other fly spray products to try because my horse is allergic to some sprays. I asked because I did not want to buy several large bottles to see if they worked or not. However Farnam refused to send me samples or even coupons for that matter. They said I would have to send the product back for a refund if I did not like their product…no thanks because the price of shipping cost would make that not worth the trouble.
I have tried TSC Dumor, it worked ok but short term. I have tried Calm Coat, also worked ok, but short term (smelled great). I have tried mashing up Bee balm with Rosemary, worked ok, again short term. (Short term = about 15 minutes or until it dried) Pyhranna spray worked the best. Stayed on for a couple of days. Yes! Days. My trimmer uses it and here in the South during dog days of summer it’s the best thing I’ve found that lasts and works at keeping all kinds of insects at bay: gnats, no see ums, house flies, horse flies, bees, ticks, even ants.
Well before I say mine. I think everyone should realize it depends what state you live in and what your area is like. Some states stay dry and cold. While others are humid and hot! Some people have lots of tress with ponds, and some have open areas with a nice breeze. My FAVORITE is this one!!! Works the best and I only use it every other day! AND NATURAL!! Whoo hoo! My horse is out 24 hours. Thanks!! http://www.bigdweb.com/Fly-Bye-Plus-Gallon/productinfo/G110/
So where do you live? I live in MI between 2 huge dairy farms. So, I have flies in biblical proportions. So far I have not found a fly spray that works . They have the masks with ears and I rub them on chest and bellies with SWAT. Would give this a try if you live in similar climate/area.
This ius my second year usdong Fly Predators and there are less flies than last year. Best fly product by far.
I am afraid nothing of those is available here in Belgium, Europe. The only thing I have so far, is riding like the wind, and when standing still killing as much flies (whatever kind) with my hand or to make as much motion while standing still…. Even next to the penn, we humans are attacked by all kinds of flies: makes you wish for winter….. Not really, but I guess you understand
You may try to find someone that deals in essential oils yo make you a concentrate.
Use citronella, tea tree oil, sage, lemongrass, eucalyptus, lavender. When you mix the oil concentrate with water in the sprayer add some rubbing alcohol to keep the sprayer from clogging.
Good luck and many blessings.
Thank you for sharing this…..I need to make something since we also live overseas, and while we can find fly spray, it’s quite expensive. I’ll try the essential oils.
I use a natural mixture also but nothing works for tics
I use Horse & Pony. Its oil based and the only thing that keeps the flies off of our horses. I’ve tried almost everything and this is what works here.
Alabama, very hot, humid environment. All kinds of flies and Texas sized mosquitos. Used fly predators (Spalding) every year until this year. Will likely go back to them, lots more flies this year.
Simplifly, IGR.
Absorbine, UltraShield spray. Does not last 17 days as adver. Once a week thorough spraying in summer months, touch up after heavy rain.
West Nile shots all around for mosquitos
Quik Bayt, scattered in the woods/forest areas. Mixed in paste form and applied 8′ or higher to post and trees.
But the birds will eat the poison bait! Please don’t use in the woods!
Im in Ohio and have found TriTec is the best.
I live in Ohio where it is currently in the 80s and always humid. Our property, mostly woods, has been deemed an official wildlife sanctuary.
In addition to other animals, I have a dozen beautiful deer with five fawns who are getting eaten alive by deer flies or horse flies–I can’t tell the difference. Those huge flies bite me when I’m trying to feed them so I know how it hurts. I want to do something to help them, but it can’t be a rub on or spray; it needs to be something to put in their food in the hope they will eat it. I feed them shelled corn each day. Can someone help me to help these poor animals with something that is non-toxic? My email address is karensquires49@icloud.com. Thanks for any help you can give!
Karen
I also use Bite Free.
WHAT IS THAT
I use Repel X and mix it stronger than what they suggest,. We have all sorts of mosquitoes, black flies, bots and a lot of horse flies this year. The odd tick. It is oil based and does work for almost a day. I only use when I have to.
Oy Very! I’ve been battling the problem all summer. I have a horse that is allergic to fly bites. She gets sores from her chest to her peepee. After trying all natural essential oils, poo eating bugs, and just about every commercial product….. Final plan of attack: smart bug-off supplement, 2 TBS garlic powder each feeding, Farnam 2 week fly treatment ( like the flea stuff for dogs), Farnam Swat (consistency of petroleum jelly). To slime her at least every other day from stem to stern, bag balm directly on the sores, and finally Bronco-e fly spray. Poor horse finally knows the routine and will speak to me again.
If anyone has any better ideas, please comment.
Good luck!
Be careful feeding garlic in a dose to keep insects away horse can also cause the horse to become anemic!
She’s a draft horse and only gets a cap full per feeding. I’m Italian and eat more than that. Thanks for the warning/concern.
Many blessings
I also use Garlic flakes and bag balm for our pony that is allergic to the flies it works great!
Try Swat around the bag balm. Its great around eyes & ears too.
I should have taken stock out on Farnam, I’ve purchased so many/much of their product.
Good luck & many blessings
How much garlic should i feed my 6yr old TB stud?
Your horse may not be allergic to bug bites, but may have a type of parasite under the skin as one of mine does. Mine was “bitten” and bloody on both shoulders and entirely under his belly.
He was miserable. Finally after asking MANY vets I asked a new vet and she treated him for this parasite and it cleared right up for the first time in years. I just started noticing it again so she sent me the meds and I’ll get him now in the spring.
I’m hearing of so many people thinking their horse is allergic, when there’s a good chance it’s this parasite. The treatment is a combination of ivermectin and injectable dex for 4 days up to 2 weeks depending on the stage.
I’m just saying, ask your vet.
If you get a chance can you post the name of the parasite? I would love to know!
She may be referring to Neck Thread Worms. Some people just call them Thread Worms. My horse is bothered by them every Spring/Summer. We used to dose with Prednisone, having to keep him on it all summer. My vets were not helpful. I finally came across an article about Neck Thread Worms and dosed him with Zimecterin Gold, with a second dose 10 days later. He totally healed up. First time in the 3 years that we have had him that he hasn’t been covered in hives and open sores. We had tried everything we could think of prior to this.
Would be interested to know as well
Habronema or Draschia worms. They cause summer sores and are extremely difficult to control and get rid of. I have had two horses that get them. Common areas are the mouth and penis. Not pretty…
I believe Jeana may be referring to summer sores. “Summer sores” is a horseman’s term for a skin condition caused by larvae of Habronema or Draschia species worms. The adult worms of these species live on the inside wall of the equine stomach and do not migrate internally.
I’m having the same problem and have tried every thing I can think of.
My TWH mare developed summer sores all along lower lip. I applied ivermectin directly on them daily and give her a double dose orally once.
It worked very quickly.
Next summer same thing. Again same treatment. Has not had them again in last 2 yrs
Regardless of which spray, if you feed Platinum Skin and Allergy, as directed, it stops any irritation or hives on your horse. Since I have been using it my horse is so much better, I shall start it early Spring next year.
On my sweet itch gelding who has the same spots underneath, I cake it with Uptite Poultice. Turns into a hard crust that the flies can’t penetrate. I use this mostly where the girth goes to keep it bug bite free. A little extra work to clean off before I ride but at least I can ride 🙂 Straight neem oil for the rest of the areas.
SKIN SO SOFT IS WHAT WE USE GET IT FROM AVON ! Works great and smells good
Homemade Fly Spray: 2 C White Vinegar, 1 C water, 1 C Avon Skin So Soft, 1 T Eucalytus oil
2nd mix if you don’t like the first
1 C. vinegar, 1 C water, 1 oz citronella oil (100%), 2 oz Avon Skin So Soft
Here is also a mix for fly catchers in your sheds or barns: 3 C water, 1/4 C sugar 1/4 C whited vinegar Fill old mild container or plastice container w/mixture & punch holes in the lid or sides Leaving entrances for flies to fly in & not leave. ( Preferably smaller to med size holes. Hope these mixtures help you & everyone. 🙂
Speaking as a farriers wife, the problem with Skin So Soft, or anything similar to that, is if you put it on when your farrier is there, it makes the horses legs very slippery and it will get all over your farrier and his tools. He has also had people try Listerine, which is also not a good choice, it will get on their hands, and if they rub the sweat out of their eyes it stings very badly.
Thank you. It is important to know how these products affect the people who make having a healthy horse possible.
I’ll make certain never to spray prior to my farrier’s day on the ranch.
How long do your mixtures usually last, and are your horses outdoors 24/7.
I use Avon skin so soft bath oil. It usually lasts a couple days unless she gets rained on. And it smells good.
I have used dozens of different sprays and home remedies and have not found anything that works. If anyone finds the perfect combination or spray, let me know.
Horse and Pony Spray from Tractor Supply. Lasts at least a couple of days (depends on how much the horse is sweating). My mare is turned out with a run-in shelter and she doesn’t have isn’t bitten up. I reapply when I see the flies landing instead of just buzzing around her.
My husband says the best thing for flies is winter. However, I mix Skin-So-Soft, citronella oil, geranium oil, peppermint oil, and tea tree oil with some vinegar and spray or wipe it on. Works for about an hour before you need to reapply.
About an hour? Do you just sit there all day and night or do you have an electronic sprayer to apply every hour.
Bite Free
I’m glad for this conversation and want to hear from others. I have used Pyrhana spray (oil based) for two summers. I have tried Repel-X (concentrated to mix with water) and many of the natural ones. So far the Pyrhana is working best. It keeps mosquitoes, deer flies and others away, BUT I have to apply a lot in the heavy fly season. Looking forward to hearing more comments.
We use fly collars, they last about a month and are very effective
where do you buy those
Where do you get them?
Farnham s Endure .
I only use Pyrana its expensive but it does keep the flies off my horses for most of the day but I spray morning and night so it works for me and keeps them off. Haven’t used anything but that for two years very pleased.
I use Gordon’s Horse and Pony Spray for flies, gnats and mosquitoes. It is oil based and has a sunblock in it. I don’t have to spray them down every single day. I have found it works better than a lot of other products I have used. If I could find a homemade fly spray that works just as good and costs less, I would be all for it! 🙂
I absolutely agree!! I used Tritech for a long time, but Horse and Pony Spray is less expensive and works really well. I find that it does give more than a couple of days of protection, which is important for my mare who’s always outside (she doesn’t bother to use her shelter).
My test for the power of a bug spray is checking inside the horse’s ear and the belly for itchy scabs. If they are scab free, the horse isn’t being eaten alive by bugs. The bonus is that her black mane, black tail and black legs stay black even through the summer because of the sunblock 😉
Piranah!!! Only thing that works here in Oklahoma!
Yep that’s all I use here in Oklahoma lol
I bought Fly Preadators this year from Spalding labs and they work. There are virtually no flies in our barn or in the outdoor runs. The big pastures have flies and they ride in on the horses but they don’t breed more flies due to the fly predators. I ordered them this season expecting them to be a scam, but took a chance and won.
I love fly predators too, but they do not kill the black biting flies, only the common house fly
That sounds great. Can you email me the company’s information.Florida is just a nasty place when it comes to flies and mosquitos.
Pyranha! It kills them instantly and keeps them away for a show day!
I agree, Pyranha works really good!!!
Not for horseflies or more than a couple hours
Too much money for to little results
Yeah it’s cool to watch them die when you spray but that’s about it
Vinegar and water works better than that
What sort of vinegar?
I will try that next time. Thanks. Angie
i have tried them all from the cheapest to most expensive – the oil based ones seem to attract dust which is bad here in the desert – NONE work as advertised – certainly not 14 days – 2 days at most – i use endure which seems to be ok for 2 days.
Endure does seem to work for two days. Wouldn’t 14 be a dream?
We burn a smudge (old hay) in our sacrifice pen. It works far better than any of the fly sprays I’ve tried. I used WIPE when riding out.
A fellow horsewoman’s special all natural source formula: Soybean oil (bugs DO NOT like it!), lemon eucalyptus essential oils. Apply to cloth to wipe on horse’s face. Works on humans too, just avoid getting it on fabric, silver, costume jewelry. A little bit seems to go a long way. I also like that I’m not inhaling unhealthy chemicals from commercial spray, getting it on my skin and hair.
Most anything needs to be re-applied after some time. I get unhappy with labels that say “Natural” then list all kinds of chemicals.
How do you make it? Thanks!
I here you on that.an essential oils should be just that.