Application Tips

Herd Size	Fly Predators per cow per month	Cost per cow per month
Dairy Type Confinement/Small Yard
96-125	1,000	$1.76
126-245	1,000	$1.50
246-495	1,000	$1.38
496-795	1,000	$1.25
796-1,995	1,000	$1.15
2000+	1,000	call
Grazing/Organic
96-125	1,500	$2.25
126-245	1,500	$2.07
246-495	1,500	$1.88
496-795	1,500	$1.73
800+	1,500	call
Feed Lot
25-75	750	$1.45
76-175	750	$1.32
176-345	750	$1.13
396-495	750	$1.04
496-795	750	$0.94
796-1,995	750	$0.86
2000+	750	call

Easy To Use

Nothing could be easier. Just sprinkle Fly Predators out of their sealed see through shipping pouches near manure and other pest fly breeding areas each week during warm weather. During your normal walkabout you'll be doing your fly control. Fly Predators ship in the immature stage, inside a pupa (cocoon) which looks like a black rice kernel. A few days after arrival they'll begin to emerge and then you release them. Fly Predators will not fly to, crawl on or otherwise bother you or your animals.

Start Regular Releases Early

Keep in mind that it is much easier to PREVENT a buildup of pest flies than it is to rid yourself of them once they have multiplied to intolerable levels. It’s best to start when the daytime highs get into the 600F’s. This is BEFORE the first flies begin to appear. Then continue with Fly Predator shipments every week stopping when the temperature drops down into the low 60’s at the end of fly season.

“We saw a big difference with Fly Predators. The animals were much more comfortable. We like them because we are not using chemicals. Our 11-year old was in charge of putting them out. I can’t imagine going a fly season without using them.”” Dennis Koolstra Daisy Lane Dairy Cope, CO

While Fly Predators stop pest flies from reproducing, they do not affect existing adult flies. So you can't expect a fly free environment immediately following the first release if you start after flies are already present. Adult pest flies must either live out their short 21 day life span or be removed by supplemental methods of fly control compatible with Fly Predators. These include traps, sticky paper, or fly bait stations. Just don't do wide area spraying as that will harm the Fly Predators and other beneficials.

Recommended Coverage

Over the past years we've found that the quantities of Fly Predators listed below provide a good starting point for dairy and livestock operations. Most of our livestock customers, most of the time, report good to excellent results at these usage levels. They release one fourth of this amount of Fly Predators every week.

However, the number of Fly Predators needed varies not only with the number of animals, but also the manure management practices, the size of the property, the weather and the severity of the existing fly problem. Much more on this in the second part of this brochure, but briefly the more moist manure around, the more flies you'll have and the more Fly Predators that will be needed.

“We are always complimented on how few flies we have. We try to keep the corrals clean and dry, so we need about half the Fly Predators. Also starting early before we have a fly problem is important. We use Fly Predators to minimize biting flies in the Spring.” Ben Tiersma with sons Luke & Mark Visalia, CA

Helping Your Fly Predator Program

From the standpoint of fly control, the goal of good manure management is to minimize the available suitable breeding area. Flies need a moist medium (between 40-60% moisture) to successfully reproduce. By making the manure too wet as in a lagoon, or too dry by spreading it thinly, or too hot by putting it in a compost pile you can make an enormous difference in your fly levels alone. For the same reason, if you've had much more rain than normal, then additional Fly Predators may be required for a few shipments.