Desperately bad fly year! Advice welcome

[zipzap]

Hi,
I'm guessing it's because of all the damp, mild weather condition but the flies, especially midges,
seem to have gone off the scale at my yard this summer.

My grey 12yr old mare has a hyper-sensitivity and has been known to have violent reactions to accumulations of fly bites (& wasp stings), which is very alarming. She needed sedation & steroid jabs from the vet when it was last really bad a couple of years ago. She's not quite that bad yet but has groupings of large, hard, raised lumps on her belly and flank on one side of her.

I've been spaying her with loads & loads of (barrier) fly spray but it doesn't seem to take effect. I've used a net fly rug but it's been destroyed in the field. I'm thinking of buying a Boett style rug but don't know much about them.

Can anyone please make recommendations or offer advice?

Thanks x

 

[winchester]

One of mine suffers really bad! He had about 8 huge bites under his belly last week! He has his fly rug and mask on if just showery rain, with fly spray on his belly and gel near his sheath!

If heavy rain i leave him in his LW.

When treating the fly bites Aloe Vera seems to take the swelling right down over night! He is a show horse so had to get the bites reduced quickly!