Bye Bye Flies
Summer is in full swing and with it comes flies, lots and lots of flies. We do all the main things to help cut down on flies (use fly predators, keep stalls and pens clean, spray the stalls and keep the barn tidy) but flies are inevitable. This summer I decided to try and use more natural fly repellants as opposed to the ones ladened with harmful chemicals. Natural fly repellants are made from natural grown plants and usually contain a essential oils that flies don’t like. They are better for horses, humans and the environment but do they actually work at keeping flies away from the horses?
Shooter’s favorite fly spray
So far I have tried 6 different natural fly sprays and after a few weeks of rotating thru them, I have a pretty good idea how well they do or don’t work. We have used them at different times of the day (before morning turnout, when they come in, before exercise, after grooming and baths and in the evening) as well as used them in the stalls after they were cleaned. Some definitely work better than others, some smell good and some do not! For the most part many of these natural fly repellants use many of the same ingredients but the way they are blended can cause different results.
Absorbine UltraShield Green:
This is hands down my favorite of the bunch of natural fly sprays. It contains geraniol and 6 fly-fighting natural oils (thyme, cedar oil, lemongrass, rosemary, citronella and clove) that help repel not only flies but mosquitos, gnats and ticks. It smells amazing, think cedary, lemony goodness and truly works at keeping flies at bay. I also noticed a lot less mosquito bites on the horses when we were using it. It is also water based so it does not leave a greasy film on your horse that can attract dust and dirt. We could not tell a difference when we used this one versus a traditional chemical fly spray. It gets 4 enthusiastic hooves up!
Pyranha Zero-Bite Natural Insect Repellant:
This one is a close second to Absorbine UltraShield Green and only gets second place because it does not seem to last quite as long. It also contains geraniol - an oil derived from fly deterrent geranium and combines with coconut and wintergreen for a powerful alternative to traditional fly sprays. Geraniol, clove and peppermint oil are suspended in 90% water so it also does not make your horses coat oily or greasy. It smells minty and fresh and does a great job.
Farnam Equisect Fly Repellant:
Farnum uses a pyrethrum that comes from chrysanthemums that is toxic to insects but also still considered organic. It combines this with citronella, clove stem, thyme and corn mint oil to make a powerful fly spray. It smells amazing like a very fresh, herb infused men’s cologne. I feel like it worked better in the beginning of the season when the flies were just getting started and does not work as well now when the flies are out for blood. I often use it in the wash rack after my horses get a bath and then add a traditional chemical laden fly spray on their legs to help the biting flies.
Spalding Laboratories Bye Bye Insects Fly and Mosquito Repellant:
This fly spray is from the same laboratory that brought the genius that are fly predators to our barns. It has a tremendous amount of research behind it and contains many of the same ingredients as the above sprays (geraniol, peppermint oil, rosemary oil, citronella, lemongrass and eugenol) but for some reason does not seem to work as well. I originally bought this after my farrier used it on my horses and it seemed to work well but when I got my bottles I was not super happy with the results. The smell is also very strong and has a heavy sweet perfume smell that lingers way too long. You can dilute it but that did not seem to help the smell and as soon as I spray it I notice the flies are still lingering around the horses and their stalls.
Weaver Leather eZall Green Fly Spray:
This is hands down my favorite smelling natural fly spray. It contains cedarwood oil, cinnamon oil, citronella oil, rosemary oil, lemongrass oil and red thyme oil. It has a nice clean cinnamon spicy smell that is refreshing but not cloying. I do not use it on the horses as it makes their coats oily and the dirt sticks to it but we do spray it in all the stalls after they are cleaned. It chases away the flies and leaves the barn smelling good.
Ecovet Fly Repellant:
Ecovet uses a proprietary mixture of naturally occurring fatty acids that confuses and overwhelms the insect’s normal directional ability, so the insect is unable to locate your horse as its next victim. Sounds pretty awesome huh? Too bad it’s just not! We could not even stand using this one for a full week. The smell is overpowering and it made me and my horses sneeze and cough repeatedly after using it. It was awful and from what I could tell the flies still bothered the horses when they were turned out. It’s repellency did not outweigh the coughing and sneezing.
If you, like me want to get away from toxic chemical fly sprays definitely give some of these a try and on days when the flies are really bad use a natural spray for the whole body and then use a chemical spray on their legs to help give them a little more protection.
What are your favorite natural fly sprays?
Scout’s favorite fly spray
