Summertime is all about having barbecues by the pool, lounging in the sunshine, and spending time with friends and family. But it might be challenging to enjoy time outdoors when you’re battling horseflies. Horseflies are widespread around swimming pools and are notorious for their nasty bites.
Since they have been present for thousands of years, horseflies are often found in countries with milder climates. They have huge eyes, are black or dark brown in hue, and have clear wings that, when at rest, lie flat over their bodies. They can transmit disease to people and animals, making them more than simply bothersome pests.
Horseflies are drawn to water because they require it for reproduction. Because of this, there is a good chance they will be a problem if you have a pool in your yard.
Fortunately, just because there are horseflies around doesn’t mean you have to stop enjoying your favourite outdoor activities. Read on to find out how to keep horse flies away from your pool, so you can get back to enjoying the summer.
Horse Flies: How Do They Look?
They are one of the biggest flies in the world and are very simple to recognise but can be challenging to thwart. To find out whether you have horse flies, look for these traits.
Size: Horse flies have exceptionally huge, sturdy bodies that are between 3/4 and 1-1/4 inches long.
Colour: They come in a variety of colours, including dark brown, grey, and black.
Eyes: They have big, either green or black eyes.
Horseflies Can Bite or Not?
Yes. And the bites hurt so much. Horseflies will attempt to bite any large, warm-blooded mammal, despite being notorious for bothering horses and other livestock. However, only females have the ability to bite since only females eat pollen and nectar while males only ingest blood to make eggs.
Horsefly bites can be excruciatingly painful, so you’ll notice if you get one very fast. This is a result of how horrifyingly horseflies bite.
Horsefly females have a pair of mandibles that resemble saws and are used to rip and slice open flesh. They release an anticoagulant when a cut is opened to prevent blood clotting. As soon as a hole is cut, they start guzzling that delicious, delicious mammal blood.
How Is a Horsefly Bite Treated?
A horsefly bite can be treated very easily and similarly to other bug bites. After being bitten, you should
Cleanse the wound using cotton wool or a cotton rag and some simple warm water.
To minimise swelling, apply a cold compress for 10 to 15 minutes.
Don’t scratch the bite because it could make it worse or lead to an infection.
It is not advised to use remedies like vinegar or sodium bicarbonate because they are ineffective. It’s important to keep in mind that a horsefly won’t leave any part of its body—including its stinger and mandibles—in the wound. Among the over-the-counter remedies that may be beneficial are:
- If the pain from the bite is too severe, take some ibuprofen or paracetamol;
- Antihistamine pills, hydrocortisone lotion, or crotamiton cream can help you stop the impulse to itch the wound;
Antihistamine pills are occasionally necessary instead of cold packs. Use these tablets if that occurs.
Also Read: How to Get Sand Out Of Pool? Get the Crystal-Clear Water
Why Do Horse Flies Wander Near Pools?
Because they are highly active in warm and humid weather, horseflies are frequently seen close to lakes, beaches, and swimming pools. Horse flies are mostly drawn to water because they need it to lay their eggs. Horsefly females are bitter, so it’s important to keep them away from swimming pools.
They only eat during the day; they don’t eat at all at night. There will be a decrease in horsefly attacks if the temperature drops.
Especially in the summer, or you might be dealing with a horsefly issue.
Horseflies: What Attracts Them?
1. Moving Things
Horseflies are known to pursue anything with dark colours that are moving. Wearing colourful clothing may be a good idea if you’re travelling through an area where horseflies are a problem on a hot day.
2. Sunlight and Light
Why then, do horseflies frequent your outdoor pool? It’s not because their (admittedly rusty) butterfly talents are lacking. especially since these species are drawn to light reflections. As a result, horseflies can naturally live in your pool.
3. Carbon Dioxide
The CO2 that you and every other creature on Earth breathe out is another thing that draws horseflies. Organisms that look like horseflies have developed natural ways to find carbon dioxide that people breathe out without knowing it.
4. Food Supplies (Blood & Nectar)
The juice from flowers is eaten by both male and female flies, but only the female horsefly needs blood to feed her eggs.
Also Read: How to Waterproof a Cinder Block Pool? Increase Pool’s Durability
How to Keep Horse Flies Away from Your Pool?
Horseflies are a constant battle to get rid of, especially if you live near water or keep cattle in your home. The fresh ones always come back, no matter how often you kill and chase them away.
Destroying pests’ breeding grounds, hives, and nests is, for the majority of the time, the most effective method. Horseflies are an issue since, in most cases, their breeding grounds are located far from your home. Also, they usually have babies in protected areas where it is against the law to try to kill them.
The only thing you can do is eradicate these ferocious insects from your property as soon as you discover them. Since there are already enough horseflies in existence, there is no reason to be concerned about the impact they may have on the environment. Let’s look at it.
1. Maintain a Clean Yard
Horse flies prefer hot, humid climates, and throughout the summer they are frequently seen in pasturelands next to waterways. They like the weedy patches and long grass close to dwellings because they can retain moisture and mimic the humid pasture habitat that they so dearly love. Horse flies can be a nuisance to visitors to the beach or neighbourhood pool.
2. Employ a Pool Cover
Cover your pool when it’s not in use to prevent flies from being drawn to the water’s reflection and laying their eggs there.
3. Mechanical Traps for Sale
There are numerous bug-repelling tools available that are effective for horseflies. You should set traps adequate for their size because they are larger than houseflies or fruit flies.
A) Lamps
Horseflies always follow the light, thus an effective technique to get rid of them is with lamps that draw and electrocute them. No way out once they’re inside the lamp’s structure.
B) Single-Use Fly Swatters
The use of disposable fly tapes or fly papers with an attractant is the most effective strategy. The best options are to hang them from the ceiling, set them down on furniture throughout your home, or put them close to a light source.
By doing this, you will enable the chemical that attracts horseflies to your trap to be activated by water and sunlight. The moment the flies tread on the paper, they become glued to it and are unable to escape. Unbelievably, over the course of a few weeks, each trap can capture about 20,000 flies.
C) Bug Zappers
Horseflies are drawn to UV light by these traps, which then use electrical metal grids to destroy them.
D) The Fly-Be-Gone
A plastic bag containing bait is part of this trap. Horseflies will become stuck as soon as they enter through and remain there till they die.
E) Horse Pal
Horseflies will be drawn to this commercial trap, where they will become trapped in a metal container.
4. Plants Can Be Used as A Natural Repellent
Horseflies detest all plants equally; none are more appealing to them than others. But some (and we’re not talking about dangerous plants here) work better than others at keeping them out. These consist of:
- Citronella plants—a common mosquito repellent that also effectively repels horseflies!
- When it comes to repelling mosquitoes, the plant catnip is 10 times more potent than DEET.
- Lavender: You undoubtedly already know that it smells good, but did you also know that it deters flies? This is so because all flies, including horseflies, detest odors.
- Marigolds, eucalyptus, and cypress are other effective natural repellents.
5. Making a Fly Trap
Such a trap can be created on your own, saving you some money. Materials required include:
- Stool
- medium-sized, dark-colored ball
- Flypaper
- tensile string
Attach the dark-coloured ball to the other end of the thread after tying it to the stool’s bottom. Hang the structure in the horsefly infestation region after wrapping the stool legs with flypaper. Push the ball occasionally to draw insects, then let them stick on the flypaper.
6. Horsefly Trap in An Umbrella
Making an umbrella trap is not difficult, and it works quite well to catch horseflies. You will require:
- Five by four-foot plastic sheets in four (1.5 x 1.2 m)
- Glue
- 1.5 to 1.8 m (approximately 5 to 6 ft) long pole
- The four auxiliary sticks
- Three rings
- Rubber ball with a diameter of 16 to 20 inches (40.5 to 51 cm).
- 1.5 metres (five feet) of string.
- plastic jar
- miniature plastic cone
Form an umbrella by joining the four pieces of plastic sheeting. Four rings should be fastened to the bottom corners and tied with strips to the supporting supports. Pull the pole through the centre of the pyramid, then add the ball to a string. It needs to hang below the bed linens.
Create a hole in the top of the umbrella, fix the upside-down jar lid, add a small plastic cone, and then lay the jar on top. The fly trap is contained in this jar.
7. Rotten Meat in A Bottle Trap
To create this type of trap, all you need is a plastic bottle, a drill, scissors, 1.75 to 3.5 ounces (50-100 g) of rotten meat, and a little bit of goodwill.
Cut off the top of a plastic bottle, then drill a hole in the bottle cap. Place the top bottle portion inside the bottom portion which is filled with decaying meat and water, upside down.
Horseflies will be attracted by the putrid flesh smell. It will be next to impossible for them to escape if they fall victim to the trap.
8. Insecticides
The natural insecticide pyrethrin is used as part of the process to get rid of horse flies. Most agricultural or supply chemical companies carry this concentrated pyrethrin insecticide in their product lines. You must follow the instructions on the package, but it is safe to use in general.
Pesticides help eliminate the horse fly larva. However, because they reside close to rivers and streams, adding pesticides to the water might contaminate or even poison it. It is quite difficult to treat them when they are still larvae.
A Pyrethrin pesticide is all-natural and extremely safe to use around pets and children. It is created with dried plant materials, including chrysanthemums. Use organophosphate and organochlorine to get rid of horseflies in your garden or another area to prevent them from developing resistance.
9. Vinegar
You will require:
- 1 cup white vinegar
- Eucalyptus oil, 5 tablespoons
- 5 cups bath oil
- Water, 5 cups
- Applying this repellant straight to the horse’s skin is the best approach.
10. Oil Mist
To increase the repelling properties, combine the lemon dish soap with baby oil or other essential oils. Since they are all-natural components, there won’t be any negative side effects when you apply this spray to the skin of either you or your animals. The following essential oils work best when used for this purpose:
- Minimal mineral oil.
- Oil of eucalyptus
- Tea tree essential oil
- Citronella oil
For improved results, you can also add 0.25 cups of lemon juice and apply the repellant straight to the pet’s skin.
11. Lemongrass Oil
One part of lavender oil should be combined with two parts each of water and alcohol. Apply this mixture to the horse’s skin after that.
12. Spray Soap
Combine two cups of white vinegar with one cup of warm water to make a spray. Afterwards, toss in four teaspoons of dish soap before sprinkling the mixture over the flies. The majority of insects will be killed by this solution, which is completely harmless for people, pets, and plants.
13. Commercial Fly Swatters
The following two products will work wonders against horseflies:
- Pyranha Wipe N Spray is a very effective bug spray that uses pyrethrin, a safe insecticide.
- A natural spray called Equisect Botanical Fly Repellent RTU The spray kills five different fly species, including horseflies.
How to Prevent Horseflies from Investing in Your Pool?
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” as the old adage goes. Keeping horseflies out of your pool area can save you a lot of time and effort.
Preventing horseflies is just as crucial to controlling them as controlling them. You can follow the above tips as well to keep horseflies from ruining your summer fun.
Also Read: How to Change Sand in Pool Filter and Sustain the Shine
Conclusion
As you can see, there are still many safe and natural options available for controlling and preventing horseflies around your pool.
You can attempt these methods separately or in combination, depending on how severe your horsefly problem is, as long as you keep yourself, your children, and your pets safe. Additionally, we have a separate guide on how to get rid of tadpoles in the pool, you can check it out.
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