Natural Insect Control • Horses For Clean Water

Farm Tips for June

With all the fun good weather brings, life always seems busier in the summer. It's hard to keep track of everything that needs to be done—unless you've got a handy checklist to keep you on the right path!

Insect Control for Horse Properties (PDF)

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While there may be a time and place for insecticides, there are environmentally sensitive methods for managing insect populations that should be considered first. Use the alternative control methods in this tip sheet to reduce the amount of insecticides used around your property and thereby reduce your impact on the environment.

Late Season Bug Control

Biting insects can turn ferocious this time of year, it's their last big hurrah. No matter how much fly control you use, there will still be a certain amount of flies, especially on those hot, sunny days. However, there are some ways you can keep your equine friends more comfortable.

The Swallows are Coming: Attracting Birds for Insect Control on Horse Properties (PDF)

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Swallows, martins and swifts are some of the most common bird species observed on and around horse properties. As predators, they are attracted by the large insect populations found wherever there is livestock. In fact, they provide an important means of pest control for horse owners since 2 pairs of swallows consume about 12,000 insects a day, making them more effective than mechanical means such as traps and electric bug zappers, and a “green” alternative to insecticides and other aggressive techniques. Plus, swallows are beautiful and fun to watch as they perform their aerial acrobatics. This Tip Sheet will show you how to provide habitat that will attract swallows to your property for help with insect control.

Use Swallows (and Bluebirds!) for Insect Control

Horse owners don't have to just put up with flies and other harmful inseccts. Encouraging insect-eating birds to move into horse areas is an excellent low-tech, cost-effective, and eco-friendly method for pest control—one our grandparents probably utilized on their farms.