Fly repellents...read this it's interesting!?

Question

I have heard that adding vinegar or cider vinegar to your horse's water trough in summer can raise his blood pH and therefore deter biting insects.

Has anyone tried that? It sounds interesting and I was wondering whether to try it. Also may try feeding him garlic, as he won't tolerate the fly spray.

Any other natural, easy fly repellent ideas? God I hate those little b******s :)

Answer 1

I have heard that if you mix your own fly spray (vinegar and water) it works just as well.

Answer 2

An unusual one I saw down south....all I know is wherever I was at that it was used, I didn't see any flies:

Take plastic ziplock bags and fill them with water and then hang them up in the areas where there are flies.  People would nail them to the roof of their porch so they hung down over the porch....I never saw any flies where this was done.

Strange, but after seeing it for two years and spending a lot of time around them, I guess I'd have to say it works.  Thousands of people do it down there in Louisiana!

Answer 3

regarding Dr M...I'm from the South and we DO use that around porches, open windows, stall doors...

What I was told was that because of how flies see...with that multiple vision...something about how the reflection, [or was it refraction? I don't remember]...anyways, would mess with the flys vision...and they stay away.  Sounds very bizarre...but it does work...go figure...

Answer 4

this might sound weird but it will totally help you, buy some Avon skin so soft oil and rub it on him... guarantee he will be fly free.

Answer 5

Using sulpher salt blocks will help a LOT.  It will not eliminate them but it helps.  I use a combination of fly predators and CDS Permectrin as a pour on.  Works great for flies and ticks(a much bigger problem than flies).

Answer 6

Why not use whats recomended for horses!  Home remidies can spell trouble.  Use skin so soft, and your horse has a reaction, who you gonna go after?  Skin so soft is NOT recomended for horses!  Fly spray companies spend alot of money each year with the e.p.a. e.t.c.  Skin so soft dosnt, at least when it comes to horses.  If home remadeis worked so good, bottle it, and make a ton of money!  I have never seen "Bubba's Home Made Fly Spray" at any feed store. Why?  Because it wont pass the e.p.a.'s regulations for horses. DUH!

Answer 7

We did try that but unfortunately we have the world's pickiest pony - result - refusal to drink out of the trough ( puddles etc he would go for but no way was he going to drink that ! Even with only a very small amount added !!)

We do add garlic to his feed and also Marmite as that's supposed to help as well ( unfortunately he's picky about that too so it has to be dissolved in hot water and mixed with molasses before adding to his feed !)

You can get a roll on fly repellent for horses - there are a few of these now but the one I have is made by Lincoln. It does work and is much easier to apply than a spray.

Answer 8

I have heard tea tree oil and lavender oil mixed with distilled water is a natural repellent. How effective it is though, I do not know.

Recently I used a human skin spray containing Citronella (natural oil) in it on my foal and it worked a treat. The sand flies stayed away and the flies that landed on him retreated immediately.

Hope you find something that works. I recommend the Citronella personally as a natural alternative.

Answer 9

My grandad owned horses all his life and he used to add marmite diluted to the horses feed, he swore by it.

But i make my home made fly repellent. I soak tea bags and add citronella and garlic and it works amazingly. Plenty of water to dilute and it will be a brown coloured liquid. Then i just stick in into a spray bottle and it lasts ages and saves me loads of money.

Answer 10

I add vinegar to my horses feed, i clean their buckets out twice a day and this way i know its going in them.  We call it their salad, i had corn oil to.  I use predators and i use those bags you can buy you add water and the flys get in and they cant get out thingies.  Those to me have worked great, they stink, oh they stink all those dead flies.  I have tried every fly spray out and none i dont care how much i spent work.  The ones that last 14 days last two hours maybe.