Animals
- Shooo Fly!
One of my favorite after-dinner things to do on a summer eveningis to take a chair into the donkey pen and sit with the donkeys as the cool of nighttimesettles over us. You've gotta love donkey kisses....these gals are very affectionate! Whe...
- Integrated Pest Management And Integrated Turkey Management
Yep, that's me...standing in the middle of our hayfield.Which, by the way, is way overdue for harvesting. Again...Mother Nature has a way of making these decisions for us.With the weather being the deciding factor,and the schizophrenic weather patterns...
- Predators, Pestilence, Parasites And Poison Ivy
Ahhhhhh, life in the country... idyllic, bucolic, peaceful... filled with breathtaking sunsets, gentle breezes, predators, pestilence, parasites and Poising Ivy!! It seems we are always engaged in hand to hand combat with some form of pest.Life...
- A Lazy Morning
Outdoor work has halted....except for the essentials, due to extreme heat. Yesterday morning I took a little time before the temperature climbedto unbearable to take some photos around the farm. I always have the best intentions of setting out with my...
- Moonbeam
He is in need of a bath and some general grooming....but with the weather as it has been for the last several days (rainy), it will have to wait. Still....he is quite lovely, don't you think? Though a bit on the chubby side, (he really loves to graze)...
Animals
A Word About Flies
Fly control...
one of the great challenges of life on the farm.
But before we delve into that icky subject.
I have to show you what became of yesterday's beautiful strawberries.
I also harvested some rhubarb for this Strawberry Rhubarb Jam.
Yum!
Now back to flies....
A few months ago I mentioned that I was feeding my horses garlic for fly control.
I also promised some feedback on the subject.
It was suggested to me that I try a company called Springtime
for horse supplements....
in particular a product called "Bug Off".
A bit of a skeptic, I decided it was worth a try.
After all, flies are the bane of a horse's existence,
and fly masks are almost as much of a pain, it seems;
as I am always finding them lying in the pasture.
As you can see, the garlic powder is dosed according to size,
and added to their feed each day.
After 2 months of use I have to say...
we have not had to use fly masks yet this summer.
And don't get me wrong, there have been a ton of flies.
But it seems that none of these flies are interested in the horses' faces...
a place where flies are always found.
I am inclined to say this supplement really works.
And you would not believe my horses' breath!
Phew!
Now around the farm, because we are committed to organic practices,
we swear by this fly trap...
Nothing we have found works any better than this Solar Fly Trap by Arbico Organics.
Beneath the fly trap is a dish of the smelliest preparation ever!
(It needs to be changed after rainfall to keep the trap effective.)
You can buy refill mixes for the smelly stuff, or you can mix raw eggs and beer and let it sit...
the end result is the same.... the most awful stench that only a fly could love!
After filling up on smelly bait, the fly takes flight... getting trapped in the metal container above,
where it desiccates in the heat of the sun.
As you can see, this trap is loaded with dead flies which will eventually be added to our compost pile.
This fly trap is a little pricey, but worth its weight in gold!
We have several located around the farm and swear by them.
(there is a link to Arbico's website on the sidebar of my blog, if you are interested.)
- Shooo Fly!
One of my favorite after-dinner things to do on a summer eveningis to take a chair into the donkey pen and sit with the donkeys as the cool of nighttimesettles over us. You've gotta love donkey kisses....these gals are very affectionate! Whe...
- Integrated Pest Management And Integrated Turkey Management
Yep, that's me...standing in the middle of our hayfield.Which, by the way, is way overdue for harvesting. Again...Mother Nature has a way of making these decisions for us.With the weather being the deciding factor,and the schizophrenic weather patterns...
- Predators, Pestilence, Parasites And Poison Ivy
Ahhhhhh, life in the country... idyllic, bucolic, peaceful... filled with breathtaking sunsets, gentle breezes, predators, pestilence, parasites and Poising Ivy!! It seems we are always engaged in hand to hand combat with some form of pest.Life...
- A Lazy Morning
Outdoor work has halted....except for the essentials, due to extreme heat. Yesterday morning I took a little time before the temperature climbedto unbearable to take some photos around the farm. I always have the best intentions of setting out with my...
- Moonbeam
He is in need of a bath and some general grooming....but with the weather as it has been for the last several days (rainy), it will have to wait. Still....he is quite lovely, don't you think? Though a bit on the chubby side, (he really loves to graze)...