The “green” battle against flies in Central Texas

Recently I have begun to shift my ranch here at Ponderosa Paints to a more green and Eco friendly operation. I am also looking for ways to save a few dollars here and there. It is fly season here in Central Texas, just a fact of life when you own livestock. One of the ways I battle them is by ordering fly parasites that are shipped monthly to the ranch. These little bugs actually lay their larva in fly larva in manure. Awesome because the fly larva never hatch! The parasites are shipped to me monthly and they arrive in a sealed package of shavings and mouse droppings and hatch over the next few days. Once I see the new hatch lings I just take them out to the barn area and spread them around. This really is effective and well worth the investment.

The other thing I have started doing is brewing up home made fly spray to save money and be a bit more eco conscious. There are a number of recipes out there but the one I am testing now was published in Dressage Today and also on Equisearch.   Simple to make at home it takes one more to do item off of my list by eliminating the need to run in to the local feed store to buy spray when I am out.  It smells fairly pleasant and is non toxic. I am still on the fence about it’s effectiveness to deter mosquitos but it seems to be effective on the horses but those pesky bugs are another subject to address later!

Here is my edited version of the recipe:
Take 2 cups of apple cider vinegar and 2 cups brewed tea ( get creative and try green or chamomile ), about 20 drops of eucalyptus and citronella oils, ten drops of lavendar, tea tree, and cedar oil and 20 drops of emulsifier ( like polysorbate 20 )

Happy Horsekeeping! Keep me in mind if you or anyone you know is looking for a horse property in the Austin area. I would love to help find just the right place!