HORSE FLIES !!!!!!

[jrkimroxie]

I'm set up stationary under a pole-barn with my LT-28 sawing syp 6x12s for a log home. Do ya'll have any, tricks/repellents/etc that will reduce the horse-fly population. It's pretty rough concentration on milling, with 3 or 4 flying & biting all over you.  this didn't work !!!

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Buy a horse and tie him up 50 yards away from the mill.

Works every time !  :D

You can also wear a dress and spray on a little CHANNEL #9.
My wife has never been bit by a horse fly!  8)

[Chuck White]

I use Bens bug dope when the flies are bad, works pretty good.

Around here, the deer flies are worse than horse flies.

Horse flies just take a bigger bite when they leave.

[pineywoods]

If they get real bad, here's an unusual twist. I have a small hand-held sandblaster. Sorta like a modified paint sprayer. It's fairly easy to shoot the buggers in mid-air with that. The sand grains won't kill them, they are tough. But it pokes holes in their wings, resulting in some wild aerobatics and crashes. then a size 12 boot to finish the job.

[Cypressstump]

I heard that a mixture of 1/2 mule Pee and 1/2 snake oil works,, sorta hard to find the snake oil round here, and the mule pee apparently don't work none too good by itseslf.......it'll sure keep yer company at bay. ! ! and yer eyes water.. :

I have found those little fellers have a keen sense of smell as they will dang sure find that spot where the bug repellent did not cover.
I use a large fan when all else fails and they get too bad.

[SwampDonkey]

I find the deer flies and horse flies don't come into a shelter. In fact if a day isn't bright and sunny I don't even see a deer fly. They like the hot bright days.  What does come in is the blow flies and stable flies, but they don't bite. ;D

[WDH]

That is because, otherwise, they are froze up.

[SPIKER]

We had bad issues with them here in amish country lots of  horses and seems the flys preferred welding smoke/arc flash as with doors open and welding helmet on hot & sweaty they would come in land on your back and nail ya....   I got bit a bunch some years are much MUCH worst than others... >:(

Mark

[KBforester]

I use Bens bug dope when the flies are bad, works pretty good.

Around here, the deer flies are worse than horse flies.

Horse flies just take a bigger bite when they leave.

Chuck- I feel that your neck of the woods has the worst population of deer flies on earth. At least that was my experience working there. Here in Maine the black flies are worse than in NY, but I would take black flies over Deer flies any day.

[Chuck White]

Deer flies are really bad this year and they are here about a month early.

Black flies (no see ums) are wicked in the woods!

[SwampDonkey]

Deer flies usually get bad here, so far just one or two around. They swarm around your head like hornets. Deet works on the black flies and mosquitoes, but not deer flies. ;D

[sprucebunny]

Deer flies are very attracted to Stihl's blue winter bar oil containers. They will get stuck to the oil and die  ;D
I don't think we have the usual horse fly but we have something like it that I call a moose fly. Big !
June is exciting ! Black flies, mosquitos, deer flies, moose flies and no-see-ums all at once  8) < not dancing... running and swatting  :D

[Dakota]

How about a bee keepers helmet with netting?

[Clam77]

Absorbine Jr. works pretty good on just about every variety of fly/gnat/mosquito I've come across - there's the kind you can find in walmarket and then there's the more potent kind you can get at a farm store that's made for horses and livestock.  You won't end up smelling the best but it works..   :D   :D

[shinnlinger]

I have seen for sale what Amounts to black landscape fabric mounted on a sawhorse with a sheet of plexiglass hanging below it.   Below the plexiglas is a tub of soapy water.  The flys circle the cloth thinking it is a horse and hit the plexiglas and drop into the soapy water. 

[Radar67]

I've had a problem with flies in the donkey paddock lately. I spread Diatomaceous Earth in the barn, on the ground around the barn, in the areas he uses the facilities, and around his feeding area. The good thing about DE is it is food grade and you can add small amounts to the feed to help control parasites. (I tested it by eating a teaspoon full). I'm happy to say, I am now worm free.  :D It will give you cotton mouth pretty bad for a couple hours.

Long story short, in two days after applying, I have noticed a 75% reduction in the amount of flies. It works on fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes too.

[WDH]

Terry,

Looks like that you will not be getting fleas as well as being worm free  :D. 

Is the Donkey on the property where you planning to build?

[pesaventoc]

Some say a bright blue disk suspended so it can rotate and some distance away from you will draw them to it instead of you. Spray it with tanglefoot and they'll stick. The U. of Fla. has done research I believe. Also wear a brimmed hat and light clothes. Hope this helps.

[Radar67]

Danny, the donkey is at my current location.

[Kevin]

You can buy these from Lee Valley and they work.

[lumberjack48]

The deer flies got so bad in the Jack pine a guy could hardly work. I've had-em in my ears, even had to spit one out of my mouth a few times.

The War was on, this one guy on my other crew ate raw onions like apples. He claimed sweating the onion out was the answer, they didn't bother him or did anybody else. You wanted to make sure you stayed up wind from him.

Everybody asked me how you do it, i used the best and heaviest armorer i could find. I would close my eyes and have the wife spray me down with Yard Guard, it worked.

When i was peeling Jack pine and Aspen back in the late 50's, this is when we skidded with a horse. My father would spray the same spray he used on the horse all over in the woods where we were peeling, this worked good. He all so mixed the gas heavy, the ole 7-19 would smoke, it all helped.