For flies on a dairy operation, there are a lot of places to call home. Rafters, trash, around fences, and even on animals are all spots where fly infestations are all too common. There’s a reason flies can be found throughout a dairy—flies exhibit different behaviors at different levels. What this means is that it’s important to create a fly control plan that targets these insect behaviors. The Starbar lineup of insect control products was designed to effectively control flies on dairies at each level of the operation— creating an environment that’s enjoyable for you and your animals. Follow the guide below to get started protecting your operation, level by level.
HIGH: Flies like to rest up high in ceilings, attics and rafters of barns and stables where it’s a little cooler. Hang sticky fly traps like the Starbar® EZ Trap from the rafters or angled ceilings where it’s out of reach of livestock and people.
MEDIUM: This level includes walls, fences and corrals – areas where flies typically mate. The best fly trap to use in this area is an odor and pheromone trap that helps to lure flies in. The Starbar Captivator® Fly Trap is the ideal trap of choice for this spot. With a powerful attractant that flies can’t resist, this trap works best hung around short walls and shelves around an operation.
LOW: Flies feed down low next to their food source. Animal and human waste as well as rotting garbage are a fly’s meal of choice. For powerful control, a fly bait is the ideal solution for this level. When rotating fly baits, it’s crucial to use products that have different active ingredients and modes of action to prevent the development of fly bait resistance. To help prevent resistance, the Starbar lineup of fly baits – including QuikStrike® Fly Bait, Golden Malrin® Fly Bait, and Cyanarox™ Insecticidal Bait – were all designed with rotation in mind.
IN, ON & AROUND: While it’s important to address flies at the high, medium and low levels of an operation, the most effective fly control programs are built around a feed-through fly control product like ClariFly® Larvicide. This is part of our recommended “In, on and around” grouping as it is delivered into the cows themselves when mixed into cattle feed, then passed through the digestive system and into the manure. Unlike conventional insecticides that attack the nervous system of insects, ClariFly® Larvicide works by interrupting the fly’s life cycle, rather than through direct toxicity. To learn more about protecting your herd and operation from damaging, costly fly infestations on each level, check out the Starbar Levels App.
