SmartPak Monday Morning Feed: Horse Insect Control Education
What’s the best course of action for preventing and controlling insects in your barn? The choices are seemingly endless, but SmartPak is here to help you make the best decision possible for you and your equine pals.
Photo courtesy of SmartPak
Bugs are the worst. Between biting flies, horse flies and gnats, they can drive our horses — and us! — to distraction. Determining how to control insects can be complicated. Fortunately, SmartPak is here to keep you in the know so you can make the best decision possible for you and your equine pals. After all, they get us because they are us.
So here are some basics about insect control.
Horse Insect Defense Supplements
Why are insect defense supplements a smart choice?
Nothing can ruin a day at the barn faster than bothersome bugs. Luckily, an insect defense supplement can help to provide additional defense against these pesky pests. The ingredients in these formulas can help discourage flies from bothering and biting your horse, making riding and turnout time fun for both of you.
What can you expect from insect defense supplements?
Insect defense supplements take time to reach their full benefit, generally about 4-6 weeks. It’s possible that your horse may act comfortable and happy during turnout and your rides right away, but if not, that’s ok, it may take a bit more time! Keep an eye on your horse over the first several weeks for how he looks and feels in spite of the bugs.
How can you support success?
Keeping a targeted fly deterrent formula in your horse’s SmartPaks will help ensure that he has what he needs to help beat the bugs. As you know, there’s not one single strategy for completely managing insects, but rather a comprehensive approach will give you the best results. Regular fly spray application and fly sheets are also great tools at your disposal for having a happy horse during bug season. To make sure your insect management plan is keeping you covered from all sides, see our tips for a no-fly zone.
Top pick for insect defense supplements
Key ingredients to deter biting insects while supporting healthy skin with SmartBug-Off® Pellets.
Get year-round support & save up to 25% every month with SmartBug-Off® Ultra Pellets – Equinox 365® which is perfect for horses that are bothered by flies and pests SmartItch-Ease™ – Equinox 365® which is perfect for horses dealing with itchiness, including seasonal allergies
Horse Insect Growth Regulator Supplements
What are insect growth regulator supplements?
Insect growth regulator supplements are daily formulas that provide targeted ingredients to inhibit the development of house and stable flies. They use ingredients like cyromazine, which passes safely through the horse’s system to affect the fly larvae in manure.
Why are insect growth regulator supplements a smart choice?
Keeping flies from maturing before they arrive is a smart way to help ensure they won’t drive the horses on your farm crazy. Feed-through larvacides work by preventing house and stable fly larvae from developing into adults, which means they’ll never become those bothersome pests that fly and buzz. In other words, this is one smart way to stop the bugs before they start!
What can you expect from insect growth regulator supplements?
It’s best to start these types of supplements a few weeks before flies appear in your area. Since it takes 4-6 weeks for the existing adult fly population to die off, you should start to notice fewer flies buzzing around after you’ve been giving the supplement for a few weeks. Because flies breed and develop in manure, it’s important to have all the horses on the property receiving an insect growth regulator supplement for it to most effectively manage the fly populations on your property.
How can you support success?
Putting an insect growth regulator supplement in your horse’s SmartPaks is a smart way to help keep the flies at bay all season long. As you know, there’s not one single strategy for completely managing insects, but rather a comprehensive approach will give you the best results. Regular fly spray application, fly stoppers, and fly sheets are also great tools at your disposal for having a happy horse during bug season. For great tips about manure management, read more here!
Top picks for insect growth regulator supplements
Break the fly life cycle with LarvaStop from SimpliFly
Prevent house and stable fly development with cyromazine in Solitude IGR
You can find this and more on the SmartPak blog. Go SmartPak and go riding!
