All insecticides are poisonous and should be used with caution. Read and understand all use precautions, restrictions, treatment frequency, and other label warnings. Before mixing and applying insecticides, put on all required personnel protective equipment (PPE).
Baiting flies
- Fly baits are primarily effective against house flies as they contain sugar and a house fly attractant.
- Baits will not control a house fly population at a feedlot but can reduce numbers in offices and around feed handling facilities.
- For products that do not contain sugar as part of their formulation, sugar or molasses can be added to the bait as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Dry Scatter application
Scatter bait evenly (do not put in piles) onto surfaces where flies are seen resting or feeding (e.g. edges of pathways, window ledges, and top of walls). Avoid extremely dusty areas.
Bait station
Set up bait stations by spreading bait evenly (avoiding heaps) into shallow tins, lids or similar containers and place where flies congregate. Position bait stations out of reach of animals or livestock and away from feed troughs, feed storage and mixing areas. Locate stations at least 1.2 metres above the ground.
Moist/wet baits
Sprinkle dry bait on moist hessian sacks and place out of reach of livestock, or sprinkle on the ground and lightly moisten bait with a light spray of water.
Painting baits
Mix bait with water as per directions until it forms a paste sufficiently liquid and apply it with a paint brush to areas where flies congregate or rest, e.g. warm and sunny wall areas, window frames, the outer side of feeding troughs.
Paint a minimum of 30 ‘spots’ of about 10 x 30 cm, or paint stripes covering approximately 10-12 square metres in total area.
Bait boards/cards
If insufficient surface area for painting is available or where some discolouration would be unacceptable, paint bait solutions onto sheets of cardboard, plastic, fabric or wood and hang in areas frequented by flies.
Spraying baits
Use hydraulic or compressed air sprayers to apply liquid bait formulations to areas where flies rest. Mix product with water as per label directions and apply spray to wet surfaces to just belore the point of run-off. If the mixture is allowed to stand, stir well before using. After spraying, clean and purge the spray equipment by spraying water with a small amount of a suitable detergent through the unit. Rinse the system by spraying clean water through the unit.
Treating fly resting sites with residual insecticides
- Provides both an immediate and a long-term effect against flies.
- Apply with hand-operated sprayers or power operated sprayers at low pressure to avoid spray drift.
- For stable flies, treat only areas that cattle can’t lick on the shady sides of fences, feed bunks, buildings and windbreaks.
- For house flies, treat the inside of buildings, outdoors in warm and sunny areas and the outer side of feed troughs.
- Do not use on animals
- Do not spray onto water, feed or areas that come in contact with feed.
Treat areas where flies congregate, inside and outside walls of buildings, fences, and weeds, trees or shrubs surrounding feedlots. In areas exposed to sunlight and rain, the length of residual effectiveness is shortened. Depending on the insecticide, the wall surface material, temperature, humidity, exposure to sunlight and the level of resistance in the flies, residual effectiveness can last from several days to a period of weeks.
In order to minimise insecticide resistance, do not apply the same insecticide, or insecticide within the same chemical class, repeatedly throughout an entire season. See product label for use rates.
Don’t spray where flies breed (e.g. manure) because the chemical will kill the beneficial bugs that feed on immature flies.
Surface spraying
Use hydraulic or compressed air sprayers to apply a wetting spray to areas where flies rest. Mix product as per label directions and apply spray on to surfaces to the point of run-off, but do not allow puddles to form. If the mixture is allowed to stand, stir well before using.
After spraying, clean and purge system by spraying water with a small amount of suitable detergent through the spray unit. Rinse the system by spraying clean water through the unit.
Painting
Add sugar or molasses to residual insecticides to form a paintable liquid bait as per manufacturer’s instructions. Apply with a paint brush to areas where flies congregate or rest, e.g. warm and sunny wall areas, window frames, the outer side of feeding troughs.
Paint a minimum of 30 ‘spots’ of about 10 x 30 cm, or paint stripes covering approximately 10-12 square metres in total area.
If there is insufficient surface area for painting or where some discolouration is unacceptable, paint bait solutions onto sheets of cardboard, plastic, fabric or wood and hang in areas frequented by flies.
Smoke generators
These ready-to-use products are for indoor use only. The ignited generator produces an insecticidal smoke which fills the room covering all exposed surfaces with residual insecticide. Use product as per label directions
Directly spraying flies – Space spraying
Space spraying (Ultra-low-volume (ULV) spraying/misting or fogging) is highly effective in killing large numbers of flies in a short period of time. This method applies low concentrate, short residual sprays, so if the droplet does not hit the insect, it soon decomposes to nontoxic status. Flies are quickly knocked down and killed by mists or aerosols of insecticide solutions. Carry out spraying with either small portable power-operated sprayers or pressurised aerosol spray cans.
- Space-spraying has an immediate effect, but it is only short-lasting
- Use only when fly densities are at a peak
- Only kills flies that are hit by the insecticide – non residual
- Costs can be high because applications may have to be repeated
- Avoid spraying livestock, feeds and feed preparation areas
To control flies in listed areas, space spray in the late evening or early morning when flies are at rest. Outdoor areas may require multiple treatments to reduce numbers to a satisfactory level.
An area spray should include fly resting areas in and around the pens (windbreaks, tree lanes, tall weeds). Applying a space spray to a windbreak may be more effective than spraying around the pens because flies use vegetation for shade. Sprays should be applied the day they are mixed because they deteriorate.
Fogging/misting
Ensure your equipment is set up correctly and accurately calibrated to dispense the required amount of chemical. The optimum size of droplets for space-spray application are droplets with a Volume Median Diameter (VMD) of 10–25 microns. If droplets are too big they drop to the ground too quickly. If droplets are too small, they may get carried away by wind and convection currents.
Follow label instructions: If you wish to mist or cold/thermally fog an insecticide, the product label must state that it is suitable for this application.
To spray an insecticide indoors, the product must state that it may be used indoors. Direct the spray towards the upper areas and fill the room with mist or fog. Vacate the treated area and ventilate before re-occupying.
When spraying outdoors allow air currents to move the mist through the desired area. Make sure the wind is less than 8 km/h, and that spray does not drift onto the operator or anywhere it is not intended.
Thermal (hot) fogging
Thermal foggers use heat to generate a visible thick fog from a combination of insecticide and oil/petrol. The droplets produced are very small and can penetrate vegetation and other obstacles. These small particles stay in the air for a long time, increasing the chance of contacting flies, but they can also be easily moved by wind gusts which can carry the product away from the treatment area.
Thermal foggers use petrol as the carrier of the insecticide which can produce a fog with strong odours that may be unpleasant. The fog produced is also flammable. Do not fog near open flames or combustible materials and do not use in confined spaces. Be careful to avoid damaging surfaces when fogging as carrier substances can leave oily stains that are hard to clean.
Thermal foggers take a shorter amount of time to fog a similar sized area than cold foggers.
Allow the fogger to pre-heat for recommended time before operation.
Turn off electrical equipment prior to fogging.
With the proper fog setting, you shouldn’t see moisture on a piece of paper when passed over at 30 cm from the barrel.
After application, allow time for oil to dissipate before starting motors or placing switches in the ‘ON’ position.
After using a thermal fogger, flush the system (without the barrel) with an appropriate solvent.
Cold (ULV) fogging
The fog produced by a cold fogger is practically invisible making it difficult to see the direction of the fog, especially when fogging outdoors. Cold foggers generate larger particles than thermal foggers. These larger particles stay in air for a shorter amount of time and won’t penetrate difficult to reach places but are not easily affected by wind drift.
Most cold (ULV) foggers can use both water and oil-based solutions. Water-based formulations are more environmentally friendly and are practically odourless. They can be used to fog plants, will not produce oily residues that are difficult to clean and do not pose a fire safety risk.
Thoroughly clean spray equipment after use. Dispose of any pesticide left over and rinse spray equipment with water. Clean the nozzle and hose by partly filling the tank with clean water, pumping up the pressure and spraying water through the nozzle, ensuring the waste liquid does not create a health hazard or harm to the environment.
Automated dispensers / Pressurised spray
The insecticide and a propellant are contained in one can. This is an easy and convenient method of killing small numbers of flies but is usually expensive. Aerosol cans should be used only for small areas and are effective knock-down pesticides.
Smoke generators
These ready-to-use products are for indoor use only. The ignited generator produces a knock-down insecticidal smoke which fills the room. Use product as per label directions. Vacate the treated area and ventilate before re-occupying.
Treating fly breeding sites with larvicides
Fly breeding sites are likely to be where manure is not compacted, particularly along walls or fences. Fly breeding areas that are too wet for the use of cleaning equipment may have to be treated with larvicides to reduce fly populations.
- Apply larvicides with a sprayer or a watering can and spray as emulsions, suspensions or solutions to dry areas. The dosage has to be sufficient to wet the upper 10–15 cm of the substrate.
- For wet areas, scatter dry granules over the surface as per label directions.
- Only apply larvicides to major breeding sites, e.g. under pen fence lines, drains, sedimentation pond, hospital area for house flies; and drains, hospital and induction area, in paddocks containing decomposed hay and vegetable residue for stable flies.
- Use cyromazine (a moulting inhibitor) over other larvicides because it does not detrimentally affect beneficial insects as much as other available chemicals. For best results, apply to recently cleaned areas.
Spraying
Use hydraulic or compressed air sprayers to apply larvicides to dry manure where flies are breeding. Mix product with water as per label directions and spray the surface of the manure at the label rate. If the mixture is allowed to stand, stir well before using. After spraying, clean and purge system by spraying water with a small amount of suitable detergent through the unit. Rinse system by spraying clean water through the unit.
Watering can application
Mix product with water as per label directions in a watering can and sprinkle over the surface of dry manure where flies are breeding. Apply at the label rate. If the mixture is allowed to stand, stir well before using.
Scattering granules
For fly breeding areas that are too wet for the use of cleaning equipment, sprinkle dry granules over the surface at the label rate. The granules will dissolve in the water and penetrate the manure to where larvae are breeding.
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