Flies and cattle?

s7ryf3925pivug

Our garden is beside a field that has cattle in it about half the time. When it does, you can tell immediately because there are lots of flies in our garden.

Is this normal or should it not be happening? If it shouldn't be happening then what can I do about it?

Any proven strategies we can use to reduce the number of flies coming through? I'm thinking of putting up a screen on the boundary, and maybe getting a lot of plants like coriander that have repellent properties?

Birdnuts

Jedidiah Miniature Paint wrote: »

Our garden is beside a field that has cattle in it about half the time. When it does, you can tell immediately because there are lots of flies in our garden.

Is this normal or should it not be happening? If it shouldn't be happening then what can I do about it?

Any proven strategies we can use to reduce the number of flies coming through? I'm thinking of putting up a screen on the boundary, and maybe getting a lot of plants like coriander that have repellent properties?

Flies are part of the scene in rural Ireland - always have been. In any case their numbers will soon be dropping sharply with the first frosts this month.

Sacrolyte

Sh1t happens.

Sheep breeder

Put up a sign for the flies no trespassing and watch them disappear, really if you live in Ireland in the summer there will be flies.

uck51js9zml2yt

You could make it a no fly zone...


I'm sorry, I couldn't resist

s7ryf3925pivug

Well I've lived almost every summer in Ireland. I'm talking about elevated numbers specifically when there are cows in the neighbouring field. There were at least 17 on one side of one of our cars earlier today, to give an idea of what sort of numbers I'm talking about. This was after I'd been swatting them in the area for a few minutes.

Going to get some netting and experiment hanging it on the trees on our side of the boundary with the field.

Say my name

Jedidiah Miniature Paint wrote: »

Well I've lived almost every summer in Ireland. I'm talking about elevated numbers specifically when there are cows in the neighbouring field. There were at least 17 on one side of one of our cars earlier today, to give an idea of what sort of numbers I'm talking about. This was after I'd been swatting them in the area for a few minutes.

Going to get some netting and experiment hanging it on the trees on our side of the boundary with the field.

Forget about netting outside or anywhere for that matter.
The neighbours will be calling the people in white coats for you.
Do you really think a fly can't fly over a net in your garden?

If your that worried about it. Put up nest boxes/cups under the eaves of your house for house martins. Encourage swallows to nest in your outbuildings.
See if you can get bats or find out from someone how and where to encourage them.
And for inside your house. Stick up those sticky strips for catching flies.
Not outside as you'll catch moths or other species which may not be bothering you.

As others have posted. The season is over now anyway. One proper cold night and they'll be gone now anyway.



You have better things to be doing than chasing flies outside with a fly swatter.

Sheep breeder

Say my name wrote: »

Forget about netting outside or anywhere for that matter.
The neighbours will be calling the people in white coats for you.
Do you really think a fly can't fly over a net in your garden?

If your that worried about it. Put up nest boxes/cups under the eaves of your house for house martins. Encourage swallows to nest in your outbuildings.
See if you can get bats or find out from someone how and where to encourage them.
And for inside your house. Stick up those sticky strips for catching flies.
Not outside as you'll catch moths or other species which may not be bothering you.

As others have posted. The season is over now anyway. One proper cold night and they'll be gone now anyway.



You have better things to be doing than chasing flies outside with a fly swatter.

Agree with the above.
Many you go out and have a serious chat with the flies about going back to the farmers field, due to him being the owner and check who’s tag is in their ear.

Base price

Say my name wrote: »

Forget about netting outside or anywhere for that matter.
The neighbours will be calling the people in white coats for you.
Do you really think a fly can't fly over a net in your garden?

If your that worried about it. Put up nest boxes/cups under the eaves of your house for house martins. Encourage swallows to nest in your outbuildings.
See if you can get bats or find out from someone how and where to encourage them.
And for inside your house. Stick up those sticky strips for catching flies.
Not outside as you'll catch moths or other species which may not be bothering you.

As others have posted. The season is over now anyway. One proper cold night and they'll be gone now anyway.



You have better things to be doing than chasing flies outside with a fly swatter.

Excellent post

IMO when the cows/cattle are introduced into the field beside OP's house they are disturbing the insects that have been living in and on the pasture with their 4x4 hooves thereby causing those insects to take flight.

s7ryf3925pivug

Have seen bats at front of house. Will look up encouraging them.
Lots of birds including robins, sparrows, bullfinches, chaffinches, crows, magpies, hooded crows, doves, starlings. Most of these are more active at the front of the house where there is a feeder. Perhaps we should redirect them to the back.
Seen wasps attacking two flies this week. Obviously wasps have their own issues.

Obviously flies transmit disease and they land on fruit and toys and l have a one year old who puts things in his mouth. They also just gross me out.

They don't really come into the house. Land on blackberries a lot, and on outdoor toys, as well as loads on the back wall of our house.

Thanks for the feedback. Consensus is that it's normal.

I get what you're saying about netting but I do think a physical barrier would work.They can fly over my bungalow but they're not at the front of it. I might experiment to see if ai can put up a screen subtly. Not thinking of putting the nets over the trees, if that's what you'rr thinking. Planting screening plants might work? There's a row of cypress trees (cut low) with a couple of ash. There's also a power line (ESB prunes the trees). They're not dense though, you can see through gaps.

Anything I might be doing to draw them? I pick up after my dog. I don't compost animal food. Not aware of anything.

Does planting coriander/mint etc have much effect?

s7ryf3925pivug

This style of trap was recommended in a WHO document I found. Appears to be effective but smelly.

Genuine Red Top Fly Trap (Single Trap) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B079GW4LCC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wX.MDbC87QA7V

tuxy

This is either a wind up or you have some phobia when it comes to flies. How long have you been living in a rural area?
I can underderard flies are irritating indoor but outdoors?
Why do you want to place a disgusting smelly trap in your garden when you know the flies will be dead before the end of the month.

s7ryf3925pivug

tuxy wrote: »

This is either a wind up or you have some phobia when it comes to flies. How long have you been living in a rural area?
I can underderard flies are irritating indoor but outdoors?
Why do you want to place a disgusting smelly trap in your garden when you know the flies will be dead before the end of the month.

To experiment as much as anything else. Want to figure out something so things are better next year. First frost in my area won't be for a month. Trap is cheap and easy to try out. There's a spot out of sight that's sheltered from the wind and catches the sun and currently just has a big pile of pruned branches so will see how things are with it there.

ganmo

I'm going to send this thread to the next person who says farmers are killing the planet.

Nature is fine but keep it over there ffs

s7ryf3925pivug

ganmo wrote: »

I'm going to send this thread to the next person who says farmers are killing the planet.

Nature is fine but keep it over there ffs

Plenty of nature in my garden between the trees, birds, bees, foxes, fieldmice and bats. More natural than a bunch of bulls standing in a field with their fly-infested faeces.

forgottenhills

Jedidiah Miniature Paint wrote: »

To experiment as much as anything else. Want to figure out something so things are better next year. First frost in my area won't be for a month. Trap is cheap and easy to try out. There's a spot out of sight that's sheltered from the wind and catches the sun and currently just has a big pile of pruned branches so will see how things are with it there.

Put up that hanging trap if the flies are really annoying you but please don't go hanging nets from trees as you will only be killing birds and bats who are your friends in keeping fly numbers down. What type of flies are you getting as a matter of interest - I assume bluebottles or similar if they are large enough to annoy you? There may be some dead animal in the vicinity if you are seeing a lot of bluebottles.

uck51js9zml2yt

Jedidiah Miniature Paint wrote: »

To experiment as much as anything else. Want to figure out something so things are better next year. First frost in my area won't be for a month. Trap is cheap and easy to try out. There's a spot out of sight that's sheltered from the wind and catches the sun and currently just has a big pile of pruned branches so will see how things are with it there.

Don't come near my house in summer. Had a load of slurry spread on the field attached to my house. Just got rid of a few calves last week.
Welcome to the countryside

s7ryf3925pivug

Mainly house flies. Some horse flies and noon flies as well as various smaller ones. No bluebottles. Noon fly larvae prey on other fly larvae. The house flies are the ones I'm concerned about.

tuxy

Jedidiah Miniature Paint wrote: »

The house flies are the ones I'm concerned about.

Why? House flies don't bite.

Lime Tree Farm

Jedidiah Miniature Paint wrote: »

Mainly house flies.. The house flies are the ones I'm concerned about.

https://www.rentokil.ie/flies/

s7ryf3925pivug

tuxy wrote: »

Why? House flies don't bite.

They spread disease.

s7ryf3925pivug

Lime Tree Farm wrote: »

https://www.rentokil.ie/flies/

The flies are coming from the neighbouring field, not our own property.

Base price

tuxy wrote: »

Why? House flies don't bite.

As you previously said there maybe a paranoia issue with flies.

As a aside what are "noon flies". I never heard of them/that word used before. Do they only appear at midday.

s7ryf3925pivug

Base price wrote: »

As you previously said there maybe a paranoia issue with flies.

As a aside what are "noon flies". I never heard of them/that word used before. Do they only appear at midday.

https://lmgtfy.com/?q=noon+fly

Base price

Jedidiah Miniature Paint wrote: »

https://lmgtfy.com/?q=noon+fly

Are you sure they are common in Ireland cause I've never heard of them.
Anyway flies will breed in all types of ecosystems and you cannot attribute blame to your local livestock farmer.

I note from a previous post that your not enamored with having cattle in the field next to your house. Unfortunately there is feck all you can do about it other than either live with them or sell up and move elsewhere. I would suggest moving close to the sea as the off shore winds may help to blow our natural flies away. The downside is that you may be inundated during the summer with ice cream vans and the hoards of wasps that follow them.

tuxy

Jedidiah Miniature Paint wrote: »

They spread disease.

Out in your garden....
Have you tried washing your hands before eating?

s7ryf3925pivug

Never heard of noon flies before ai saw them in my garden. But yes I regularly see noon flies in my garden.

There are only lots of flies when there when the cattle are in the field. They're definitely because of the cattle. Not blaming him if that's just what comes with the territory, and I understand that that is the case.

tuxy wrote: »

Out in your garden....
Have you tried washing your hands before eating?

I mentioned that I have a one year old who puts things in his mouth. Flies land on **** then land on blackberries or toys. My kid puts the blackberries or toys in his mouth. I don't see why you can't see why I'd like to stop that.

s7ryf3925pivug

Anyway thanks to everyone for the ideas/info/feedback.

Base price

Jedidiah Miniature Paint wrote: »

Never heard of noon flies before ai saw them in my garden. But yes I regularly see noon flies in my garden.

There are only lots of flies when there when the cattle are in the field. They're definitely because of the cattle. Not blaming him if that's just what comes with the territory, and I understand that that is the case.


I mentioned that I have a one year old who puts things in his mouth. Flies land on **** then land on blackberries or toys. My kid puts the blackberries or toys in his mouth. I don't see why you can't see why I'd like to stop that.

I understand your concern but to be honest I think you are overtly concerned. We grew up picking and eating blackberries, apples, gooseberries ect off the bushes/trees as we walked to the local shop to buy ice cream and I don't think it harmed me.

Anyway, I feel for your concern but tbh I can't offer any other solutions that could help your situation.

tuxy

The child could have an autoimmune disease, I feel like we aren't getting the full details here. I've lived beside a field that would have up to 100 cattle some years and while flies indoor are sometime a minor issue it has never been a problem outside.

uck51js9zml2yt

Op, your quest feels like king Canute trying to stop the sea. It just can't be done.

forgottenhills

Jedidiah Miniature Paint wrote: »

Never heard of noon flies before ai saw them in my garden. But yes I regularly see noon flies in my garden.

There are only lots of flies when there when the cattle are in the field. They're definitely because of the cattle. Not blaming him if that's just what comes with the territory, and I understand that that is the case.


I mentioned that I have a one year old who puts things in his mouth. Flies land on **** then land on blackberries or toys. My kid puts the blackberries or toys in his mouth. I don't see why you can't see why I'd like to stop that.

To be honest none of these flies are any way dangerous. Many of us grew up in the Irish countryside and flies landing on fruit or apples are not
the slightest concern. In fact it is the kids growing up in overly sterile conditions who are developing ailments such as asthma. These flies are also not associated with cattle, they are just natural to the countryside, perhaps they are attracted in greater numbers than normal to certain type of plants in your garden. But once again you should not be in the slightest bit concerned about them, flies are totally natural. The only Irish insects that could do any harm to your child in an Irish garden would be a nest of wasps if the child happened to disturb it.

tuxy

forgottenhills wrote: »

Many of us grew up in the Irish countryside and flies landing on fruit or apples are not the slightest concern.

Perhaps this is when the OP developed a phobia of flies. Maybe something happened in the past that they have blocked out!