FLY REPELLENT

[Nevenka van Niekerk]

Hi there! Do any of you have a recipe for a fly repellent. I know some place use a paraffin mix. But I don't know any of these recipes. I need to do 10 horses so the store bought fly repellents just work out too expensive.

[Angie]

Hi if you mix Citronella oil( its cheap enough) in water and spray that on them, but i was then told that the Citronella attracts the Midge that spreads AHS. Dont know if its true or not perhaps some more research and opinions should lead us in the direction, i have 8 horses to spray and its just not possible to buy from the store any more.
What do you Guys know??????

[Fiona Van Zyl]

Fly spray:
2litre's of very strong black tea
10 drops citronella oil
2 table spoons meths
4 tablespoons sunlight liquid
mix together in a 2 liter coke bottle, the white spray tops fit on these bottle.
not hundreds on the quanties but this is a guestimate

[Debbie]

I asked the vet about fly control. He said to try the paraffin mix. You must use the power paraffin and not the 'lamp oil, and mix some citronella into it. I have bought some of this power paraffin, but it looks and smells very strong. I am going to try it, but I am going to dilute it 50/50 with water and then add some citronella. I am doing this because I am desperate to keep the flies off my horses. I have tried just about every fly recipe I could get my hands on. The flies only seem to be around the horses, the stables are clean and the yard is clean. I have also bought stuff called Peripel 55. This goes onto the horse 'clothing'. not on the horse.

[Elbrus Ourtaev]

Hi Debbie,

latest research shows that citronella actually attracts mudgets and flys. how did the product work 4 u

[Nevenka van Niekerk]

Have not tried anything with citronella due to the research not being complete. Still using Quadrepel. Find something with cipermethrin still the best.

[Ash]

ih there, citronella does work well for us, but the only thing is you cant use it on pregnant mares at all!!!!! it can cause them to abort!

[Kathy Wiles]

Just want to say that I'm not sure how Citronella works for flies, but two specific research projects have found that it does not work against the midges which transmit African Horse Sickness (Culicoides). Research was done by Braverman in 1999 and Dr Patrick Page is very current - 2009. Both found Citronella was not effective and there was evidence that it could possibly act as an attractant. It also hasn't been properly tested for side effects. More research was done by students at the University of KZN, where they found Citronella to work, but this research has been rejected as faulty.

Another research project on repellents is in the pipeline and I'm assisting the entomologists, so it will be done in the Garden Route area. I'll let you know the results.