Natural Control of Nuisance Flies
Fly parasites are the orginal biological control of pest flies.
The natural enemy of most pest flies including house flies,
horn flies, face flies and stable flies. Naturally occurring
fly parasites live in the same environment that pest flies commonly
lay their eggs, manure piles, compost heaps or anywhere decaying
organic matter is found. Fly parasites reproduce by laying their
eggs in the pupa of the pest flies. This fly parasite process
kills the pest flies before they hatch.
Fly Parasites - Just what are they?
Fly parasites are really just very tiny flies. They do not
bite or sting and never become a pest themselves. The live their
entire life on or near manure piles or decaying organic matter
and live solely on pest fly pupa or larve. Fly parasites typically
go unnoticed within the environment and offer you natural organic
control of pest flies.
How effective are Fly Parasites?
The US Department of Agriculture has reported results of well
how fly parasites control fly populations in two different studies.
One study concluded that fly parasites surpressed a population
of house flies in about 30 days. Another reported that a after
90 days all house flies and stable flies in a poultry barn had
been completely eliminated.
Most people who have used fly parasites report them as very
effective. A number of periodicals related to horse, cattle
and poultry production have featured fly parasites as the organic
way to control flies.
How many Fly Parasites do I need?
There are lots of different publications that will provide
different numbers when helping you determine the number of fly
parasite colonies that are needed. We have found that it is best to establish a colony
of of fly parasites rather than simply buying one or two thousand
insects. This insures that you have a viable number of fly parasites
available to survive the elements and still control the population.
The fly parasites we have available are shipped in colonies
of 10,000 to 15,000 insects. This easily establishes enough
insects to provide control of flies for hobby farm owners and
small farms. For larger farms and feedlots investigating fly
predators as a means of controlling pest flies we recommend
that you contact us and we will work
with you to determine the number of fly parasites that you need.
We will help you determine the number of fly parasites needed
based on the not only the number and type of animals that you
have, but also the size of your feedlot, pasture or stable and
the conditions in your area.
In any case we recommend that you plan several purchases of
fly parasites to properly get them established. We recommend
that you release parasites several times, first starting just
after the last frost and finishing prior to the last frost.
If you purchase fly parasites over time you will discover that
you will maintain a residual colony that you may only need to
supplement once a season.
How do you use Fly Parasites?
Fly parasites are easy to use, you simply dump them on your
manure, compost or decaying material. Of course it is best to
manage the decaying material. We recommend spreading them around
on several locations on manure where you see a problem. Fly
parasites will generally not travel from location to location
so you many need to establish several different colonies. You
can supplement the effectiveness by managing this decaying material
well. Either keep manure in a pile where it gets too hot for
many pest flies to reproduce or spread it thinnly so that it
dries out, either method will help control pest flies.
Fly Parasites Prices
Fly parasites are available from The
Beneficial Insect Company in colonies of 10000-15000 insects.
1 Colony - $32.00 each |
2-4 Colonies - $30.00 each |
50,000 - CALL |
100,000 - CALL |
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