Flies, the pesky buggers! Flies left uncontrolled, especially horn flies, can torture cattle with up to 120,000 bites per day. Up to as many as 4000 horn flies can be found on the back of a cow, and those flies can consume 30 blood meals a day, which adds up to 120,000 irritating bites. Not only are these flies biting the cows, but the potential profits, too. The U.S. cattle industry estimates Horn flies losses at $1 billion annually.

Using fly control remedies early in the fly season is the best way to prevent the population from getting out of control, but every year, we get producers asking, “What can I do for flies now? They are so bad.” Usually, this question gets asked at this time of year when we seem to have hit the peak fly infestation.

We talk through what we have already done to control flies. Firstly, I highly recommend a feed-through product to stop the reproduction of the flies in the manure when the eggs are laid, which is best started 30 days before the fly season. But for cows out on pasture, the feed-through with fly tags in each ear can also be a great option to keep those pesky flies away. Of course, during this time of the year, that will not do much good, so we will discuss implementing this for next year and move on to controlling the flies now with other options.

When early control was not implemented, the next best options are applications to the animal directly and the premise. Pour-ons and on-animal sprays are great for immediate relief. Application should be made to each animal, which will require time and labor, especially if cattle are on pasture. The application would require running animals through the chute or corralling in a small space to apply products. A practical application for cattle on pasture is a force-use method in which an area where the cattle must frequently enter strategically placed dust bags, back rubbers, and oilers. A powder or liquid is applied to the various equipment for cattle to rub against to self-apply the products to provide fly relief. These  methods are effective but require some management as the product will need restocking based on the frequency of cattle usage. It takes 2-3 weeks for cattle to adapt to the fly relief strategy. This method can leave some of the herd unprotected if the cattle choose not to use the fly equipment. Ask your local animal health advisor what might be the best option for your operation, as there are many products on the market to aid in fly relief via pour-on and other on-animal products.

A premise spray might be more helpful if you have a feed yard instead of a pasture. Premise sprays aid in keeping the population that is currently flying around down. In my opinion, I prefer this type of application, more specifically, the fly bait sprays. As a producer with cattle in a mono-slope barn on a yard with several other outbuildings and stacking manure slabs, fly bait sprays are effective and efficient for me. Yes, walking around with a hand pump sprayer takes some time to spray the buildings, but I see results. I apply fly bait spray to the outside of all the outbuildings and the concrete bunkers holding manure. Once the flies land on these surfaces, which they do because the spray is a bait that attracts them to the surface, it does not take long, and the flies are dropping. Several people have visited and asked what we do for fly control because there are minimal flies in the yard. It also helps minimize the flies in your backyard, house, and kitchen.

All these methods work for fly control, but developing a multi-faceted approach will help control flies more strategically and secure more profits.