msapril
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Re: GNAT'S Help Please??
Posted: Jul 8, 2012 at 12:38 AM |
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You ladies are so nice and such a good resource!
Makes me proud to be part of ES. Susie
Oops! How did I miss page 3? I mean "ladies & gents."
Re: diotamaceous earth (food quality), it has many uses :)
I sprinkle it on my dogs' food as well.
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shezapremium
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Re: GNAT'S Help Please??
Posted: Jul 8, 2012 at 11:11 PM |
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I also have a mare that is very sensitive to the bites. They mostly get her neck and canon bones. "Bite Free" is the only repellent that works for her. I believe it is a Farnam product. Kind of expensive but, worth it.
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luvshorses
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Re: GNAT'S Help Please??
Posted: Jul 9, 2012 at 8:56 AM |
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Shannon...hope you don't get 'tagged' as a frequent drug user..LOL!! Apparently, some of the ingredients in antihistamines are used in making meth (or something like that)!!
What do you all DO with the diatamaceous earth for bug prevention? Feed it? Dust it on them?
Have a gelding that's developed some kind of allergy - he has rubbed the hair off the top of his tail, and mane, destroyed a gate, my barn door, and the board on the top of the run-in with his itching!!
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imacowgirltoo
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Re: GNAT'S Help Please??
Posted: Jul 10, 2012 at 2:35 AM |
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Luvs, I have fed diatamaceous earth for about 3yrs now. It comes from the ocean. When the diatoms creatures die, their shells sink to the ocean floor. These shells are calcium carbonate. They are cleaned & under a microscope look like tiny slivers of glass.
It has many uses, & for flies seems to work best in the poop, by lacerating the fly larva. I have not used horse wormer in 2+ yrs, as it kills worms that migrate into the horse's stomach. The horse gets a boost of natural calcium, too. It can be used on the ground to kill all types of insects, but is messy since it looks & feels like flour. My dogs won't eat it unless I feed them canned dog food.
There is lots of info online. I know that if you use it and still think your horses are wormy, you are not using enough. I feed ~3Tbsp 2x's daily, up to 1/2cup, and my fly population has decreased every year.
I hope this helps.
Vicky
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ranger41
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Re: GNAT'S Help Please??
Posted: Jul 17, 2012 at 4:39 PM |
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I also put the Diotamaceous earth in their drinking water. It cuts down the algea growth in the summer. I have been using WD40 for the large horse flies that nothing else seems to work on. And since it is made from mostly fish oil it is safe and it lasts for a long time.
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imacowgirltoo
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Re: GNAT'S Help Please??
Posted: Jul 17, 2012 at 8:28 PM |
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Ranger: In the water? Good idea, I had not thought of that! Thanks for the info, I'll give it a try.
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dw863
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Re: GNAT'S Help Please??
Posted: Jul 17, 2012 at 9:59 PM |
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Don't have fish in the water, the diatmacious earth seems to kill them. I have lost gold fish that I keep in the water trough for mosquito larve. When I cleaned out feed buckets or rinse my hand in the water. I think that some of the fish got a little too much. so I keep it away from the water and just hose out the buckets.
Kay
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ranger41
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Re: GNAT'S Help Please??
Posted: Jul 18, 2012 at 1:50 PM |
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diotatomaceous earth should not hurt your fish in a tank, it is one of the ingredients in a biological fish tank filter. What it will do is kill all the larvae and stop the algea growth the fish were feeding on. When I started putting it in my tanks I gave away my fish as I knew it would kill all the live organisims they were feeding on, you then have to feed your fish.
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pjkansas
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Re: GNAT'S Help Please??
Posted: Jul 18, 2012 at 3:28 PM |
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I decided to be dedicated in using diotatomaceous earth this year. Before I wasn't using it regularly. I have been giving it to horses and goats. There are almost no flies around my place - not even when I sit on the deck. It almost shocking to see the difference. Horses look great, no constant tail swishing. They stand in the barn with no tail action, same in the pasture. It's almost wierd. Flies were terrible. Good stuff and sure not expensive or hard to use. Think I'll try some in the tanks next. Had been putting pennies in them which helps some.
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kindredspirit58
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Re: GNAT'S Help Please??
Posted: Jul 20, 2012 at 6:42 AM |
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I deal with gnats that swarm around the horse's head and mine. They gravitate towards the highest part of the body. If you raise your arms they leave your head. I decided to try the vanilla extract on myself. It worked! And I smelled yummy too, lol)
For algae in the water trough, I used 1 tsp of copper sulfate per 100 gals. It keeps algae under control.
Kathy
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