# Homemade Fly Spray



## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

Anybody have a recipe that really works?


----------



## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

equal amts of listerine (the fake yellow stuff), vinegar and baby oil.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Since most of the expensive store bought stuff only works for a little while, seems anything concocked at home would be less effective.
Old timers would spread used engine oil on them. Kept the flies away, shined up the horse's coat and was a powerful cancer causing substance
I think the key to a fly repellant is something that won't evaporate. 
I like Farnam's original Wipe. Maybe you could figure out a recipe from their label?


----------



## mesa123 (Jan 15, 2009)

We used to use a mixture of Avon's Skin So Soft, citronella oil and I think vinegar. There might have been water too...Can't remember the proportions. I can't say it worked really well, but the Skin So Soft smell was always nice. Tended to clog up sprayer nozzles though.


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

My father has a fairly effective recipe but he's away for a couple weeks so I can't give you an answer for a while.

Realistically, his effective home recipe requires more work than my fairly inexpensive approach. I simply pick up a few extra fly tags for the cows and braid them into the mane/tail or both if flies are really bad and for @ $5/horse per season, they're protected when in use and in the pasture. Our flies are actually bad enough during the summer that if left unchecked, they'll literally chew loonie sized patches on their bellies raw.


----------



## malinda (May 12, 2002)

I have clients who have used garllic oil, citronella oil, apple cider vinegar, and Skin So Soft, or any combination of the above and it works fairly well.

I've also had a few clients who use diesel fuel. I had to ask them to stop using it because touching it all day while trimming was making me feel ill.


----------



## mayfair (May 7, 2006)

The Skin so Soft recipe only works for us if I put essential oils in there...peppermint, eucalyptus or whatever I have on hand. I tried it without the oils.


----------



## rider (Feb 11, 2003)

I have good luck with the avon skin so soft water and brown vinager equal amounts but we do not have the flies and bugs that some warmer wetter climates do , but it works for the flies we have. I spray about every 4th day or so


----------



## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

I use commercial for flies- we just have toooo many. My favorite is Adams. Expensive, but a bottle lasts me a few years with five horses (unless it rains, an application lasts 3 days or so),so it's a pretty good deal in the end. Last I bought was 25 bucks, I think. I buy mine from the vet, but I think you may be able to order it. Up until recently, the horse formulation was for dogs/cats as well. Now they've changed it and it's animal-specific. I've never tried anything homemade that was worth a darn- by the time you figure in buying the stuff, mixing it up and then applying more than you would with a commercial type and more frequently- it's just not worth it to me.


----------



## MelTX (Aug 25, 2009)

We sprinkle DE (Diatamaceous Earth) in the stalls, pens, barn floor and sometimes mix with water and spray it on the barn walls. We also add it to the horses feed to fight parasites and it the flies stay away from the manure since it contains the DE. I have more flies in my house than we have in the barn...

I found this product that works well and I like it better than other commercial sprays. http://www.espree.com/index.asp


----------

