Argh...crab flies

[BentleyBelly]

Please see post in Stable Yard that I have resurrected....desperately looking for ideas to keep crab flies away.

www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=241813

Someone once told me to put vaseline on his more ticklish areas to make them stay away but I can't really coat his whole backend in it. They are particularly bad this year (or pony is getting worse!), managed to kill about 5 out riding on Sat but needed both hands on the reins most of the time as he was being a total idiot.

 

[sunshine19]

The are a bleddy nightmare over here, I hate them
My big lad goes balistic with them and couldn't be ridden last summer because he reacted so violently.
The only thing I can suggest is vaseline around sheath/under tail/bum/between back legs and buy a fly rug that you can ride with. They really are bad here, I do all of the above and once a week give my boys a spray with watered down Butox (similar to Coopers Spot On). We have the odd one or two but not as bad as it used to be before I got into my routine. I've also notice the Butox solution keeps the ticks a bay too.

 

[nagseastsussex]

sorry dont mean to be thick but what are crab files?

 

[sunshine19]

This is what the look like...

 

[BentleyBelly]

This is a crab fly http://www.flickr.com/photos/15543444@N00/40786657/ They are about the size of a finger nail (maybe a bit smaller) and they scuttle around. Not sure if they actually bite but once you have one on a horse is scuttles into ticklish places like between back legs and drives some horses potty. We have them in the New Forest in abundance. Forest bred ponies generally tolerate them but others, like my welsh cob get very angry with them! They make a wonderful pop when you kill them by breaking them in half, swatting doesn't work, you have to grab them and rip them in half or stick you nail through them!! Vile little creatures.

Sunshine, I will try the vaseline again, thanks. I've never seen fly rugs you can ride with, will google. TBH though I have never put a rug on the hairy beast, even in mid winter so not sure he will tolerate it in the heat!

 

[sonjafoers]

I think they are worse this year than I've ever known - I'm picking about 20 a day off each of my girls & they are in big clusters under the tail and around the teats

There really doesn't seem to be anything that deters them, however I've started tying a Naf fly tag into the tails of mine and although it does nothing to keep crab flies away it does seem to knock them out a bit. I'm finding that with the fly tags in they are so zonked from the fumes that they are really easy to pick off & crush.

This won't stop them landing whilst riding unfortunately though.

 

[BentleyBelly]

Ooh whats a fly tag? Do you have a link to what you use? Thanks.

 

[jhoward]

try deosect.. i sold a pony to a couple in the NF, and they were worried about his reaction, normal flysprays dont work, deosect wont keep them off, but it kills them on landing.

 

[sonjafoers]

Sorry but I'm so useless I wouldn't have a clue how to post a link!

They are made by NAF and called NAF Off Citronella Tags, come in a green bag and are around £10 for 2 tags. I got mine from my local feed place but they seem to be on most horsey websites.

You just plait one into the mane or tail ( I'd say tail for crab flies as you want the fumes from the tag to knock them out ) and I'm using one on a very thin skinned 7/8ths TB who gets a skin reaction from just about anything and she has been fine with it. I've tied mine to the underside of the tails so they are closer to the parts where the flies gather.

I'm also spraying with the Citronella spray but like I posted earlier nothing seems to deter them so I'd say it's useless as a crab fly repellant. I spent a fortune on Coopers last year and that didn't bother them either so the tags are the only thing I've tried that has any effect on them at all.

 

[Keith_Beef]

A spot of Thread Necromancy is in order, I think.

We were out in the forest yesterday afternoon for a couple of hours.

While going at a walking pace along a path, one of the ladies spotted what she called a "mouche plate" on the horse alongside, and somehow managed to sweep it away with her crop.

I did a bit of googling, and this is apparently the same as the New Forest fly, also known as the crab fly, Hippobosca equina.

There are also signs on the paths into the forest warning about ticks.

Back at the yard, I gave my horse a thorough check for ticks and crab flies and found none...

From this thread, I see mentions of vaseline, citronella and sudocreme.

Has anybody tried Neem oil, or a home-made concoction?

 

[Cecile]

Sorry but I'm so useless I wouldn't have a clue how to post a link!


They are made by NAF and called NAF Off Citronella Tags, come in a green bag and are around £10 for 2 tags. I got mine from my local feed place but they seem to be on most horsey websites.

You just plait one into the mane or tail ( I'd say tail for crab flies as you want the fumes from the tag to knock them out ) and I'm using one on a very thin skinned 7/8ths TB who gets a skin reaction from just about anything and she has been fine with it. I've tied mine to the underside of the tails so they are closer to the parts where the flies gather.

I'm also spraying with the Citronella spray but like I posted earlier nothing seems to deter them so I'd say it's useless as a crab fly repellant. I spent a fortune on Coopers last year and that didn't bother them either so the tags are the only thing I've tried that has any effect on them at all.

Is this what you mean?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NAF-Off-Citronella-Tag-Pack/dp/B007POWCNW

 

[planete]

I found my gelding was worse if I coated under his tail and around his sheath in vaseline as the flies would keep crawling around instead of settling down in the "shady" bits and he would try to buck them off. Without the vaseline and equipped with an ultra lightweight quarter sheet to keep them off his croup he would cow kick at them but the bucking stopped which was less of a nuisance.

 

[Runaground]

I have had excellent results with Tri Tec 14 by Farnham (might be Farnam) when I had my mare on the forest. It's hideously expensive, but, once you've built up a good amount in the coat you only need reapply every couple of weeks....seriously it does work even with those little monsters.

Horse Health at Winsor do it and you can pick it up from them if you're passing. It's used widely in Canada and the States as well as Europe on horse although here it says something about being for stables etc. it's brilliant stuff google it on some american sites for more info about application.

 

[Fransurrey]

Has anybody tried Neem oil, or a home-made concoction?[/QUOTE]
I use neem oil. We only started seeing crab flies in our area 2 years ago, but my sensitive mare doesn't seem troubled by them. She has neem oil applied anywhere the rug doesn't cover. Field neighbour said she's always seeing them, so perhaps the neem does help!

 

[Suby2]

I use Tri Tec 14 on my cob who came from outside the New Forest and didn’t know what to do with himself the first time one landed on him.