June 8, 2022 Sales WVF

Horse Fly Season

Horse flies can be a real hot weather menace, not just for our equine friends, but for us too! There's nothing worse than getting bitten by a horse fly, and for our horses, it can be a real nightmare.

There are a few different types of flies that can affect horses, including face flies, biting horse flies & midges.

Face flies, although they can cause stress, don't actually bite the horse, but look for sources of moisture from the nose, eyes & mouth. They will land on the face in great numbers, causing the horse stress and can also increase the risk of passing on infection.

The biting female horse flies navigate by following large heat signatures, such as horses and people. They then land and bite down on the host which is very painful! Female horse flies need a blood meal in order to mate and produce eggs.

Midges are the main cause of sweet itch in horses. When the midges bite, this can cause an allergic reaction to the saliva, which then causes the horse to itch relentlessly, resulting in hair loss and sores in the affected areas.

There are a few steps we can take to reduce the effect that flies have on our horses.

RUGS & MASKS

Fly rugs and masks are made of a fine mesh which prevents flies from landing on the horse's skin. They also prevent flies from being able to bite.

FLY SPRAY

Fly sprays use various ingredients to repel flying insects. Each ingredient can target different types of flies e.g. Citronella is designed to repel midges, whereas Deet is designed to repel horse flies.

SHELTER

Keeping your horse in during the day time will help keep them away from nuisance flies.

BREEDING

Muck heaps make fantastic breeding grounds for flies, keeping them away from your paddocks and regular poo picking will help to reduce fly numbers.