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Researchers testing ways to control flies

Scientists are testing a number of methods to reduce and control stable flies, a leading pest of cattle in the U.S. The USDA’s ARS “Agro-ecosystem Management Research Unit” in Lincoln, Nebraska determined that stable flies cost the U.S. cattle industry nearly 2-and-a-half Billion dollars a year from “reduced milk production in dairy cows, decreased weight gain in beef cattle and lowered feed efficiency.” Flies also cause trouble in pastures. Researchers used the insect growth regulator, cyromazine, on hay-feeding sites and reduced nearly all emerging adult stable flies.

Another control method uses catnip oil to repel flies. Researchers are working with Microtek Laboratories in Dayton, Ohio to test a new granular catnip product that keeps stable flies from laying eggs.