OMG, the bugs in Tennessee. They are truly bugging me and are, well they are horrendous.
We have our pest guy coming back this am to re-treat for ants and I have found a swarm of red paper wasps everywhere including the barn walls (right outside Remus’s stalls). They need to go bye bye and not come back. I looked them up and they are nasty suckers. Give me a regular wasp any day. The ants are everywhere still outside (luckily no more have come in YET).
The previous owners did leave an auto spray fly system in our barn. The thing may be smarter than me but Mark being the brilliant scientist he is managed to figure it out and get it going. We didn’t think the timer was working but last night as I was putting Remus up it went off so yay I think we have it programmed right. I have to say the bugs are better in the barn than anywhere else on the property (besides the damn wasps) so it must work? Sarah will never ever come visit me at Wasp Hill though. LOL
Does anyone else have one of these? It is pretty fascinating and thank goodness it was all rigged up already with the nozzles up in the ceiling etc. I am not sure if we would have figured all that out.
Remus is settling in. He spooks at times (Mark bringing the trash can up yesterday made him bolt out of his stall and run in circles in the paddock with his head up at sky level). Idiot. Yes, that trash can and man will kill you. Rolling eyes. To give Mark credit he stopped when he saw him running.
And the stupid horse doesn’t realize indoors = cool and fan. He will stand outside and sweat and eat grass rather than go inside and eat hay in front of the fan in this horrible heat wave we are in. And he keeps taking his fly mask off! But overall we are in sync on schedule now, I go out at 6 am with the dogs and feed Remus on the gate so I can clean his stall. Then I give him his hay and usually he comes back in to chow down in front of the fan for awhile.
He is actually pretty good on his own but I know he is bored. I usually put him up in the middle of the day if it is really hot. And then let him out for awhile in the evening until almost dark then lock him up. He will eat the Bermuda hay if i mix it with a tiny bit of alfalfa…..so at least he is eating. He is pretty spoiled and just a big dog nowadays. Once I get through next week at conference, I will have to start unpacking my saddle etc. and think about hopping on him. But hot. Hot. Hot. It is now. LOL He does need a bath before I go away. He is a gross mess since he loves to roll in the mud after we have our daily rain shower/storm that comes through EVERY DAY.
So hopefully we get a handle on the bugs. Already the barn is the bug free zone (esp after the wasps go away). Is anyone else suffering on the bug front??
Fat Buckskin in a Little Suit 
Yes, bugs are terrible. There is an auto fly spray system where I board but a part needs replacing so right now I just spray down Eli’s stall myself.
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I am amazed how good it works!! And I am also amazed OURS wasn’t needing a part 🙂 HA
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Yah it makes a huge difference!
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Have you been stung yet? And I will visit, but not in the summer and kill some wasps first!!! I can’t wait to meet Tate! Tell Remus to get over himself. The trash can monster doesn’t murder buckskins, it only murders grey horses! Bugs suck here too. Gnats are awful! My feed through stuff seems too be helping some??? The edible pesticide is what Erik calls it and the garlic pellet seems to be helping Batt as he’s happier than Subi… My very small study.
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yes shawn fed garlic up there. I have not gotten any of that yet. We are near a lake and a pond so mosquitos and gnats are bad too. UGH. No i have not been stung yet. Yes you need to come in winter 🙂
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I’ve noticed that the wasps have been particularly bad here this year. I haven’t been stung since I was a kid, but this summer they’ve already gotten me twice! Little bastards.
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They are a pain (literally). I have not gotten stung yet but with the amount of wasps in this general area it ‘don’t look good’ LOL ugh. Hate them.
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The wasps don’t show up around here till August usually….hopefully they aren’t terrible !
They were horrid last year when we were in the Okanagan….they even flew away with a chunk of meat from our charcuterie board!
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The fly prediditors are usually the best at keeping your bug populations lower but you have to make sure you don’t use fly sprays that might kill them. It’s to late to start them now but it could be a great thing next year!
Good luck with your bugs!!!
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thank you! How is Chimi doing??
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Alive! He’s actually doing really well but just sitting in my pasture bc I’ve been insanely busy with work! I have an update sitting in my drafts foOder but haven’t had a chance to finish it 😂😂😂 I give you major mad props for writing blog posts during your move!!!
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omg Tate is CUTE!! can’t wait to see more pics of him! glad Remus is figuring life out haha, including those bizarre daily rain showers (kinda jealous honestly, since it’s been so so so dry here with ground like concrete!). i have no knowledge of the bug systems. we used fly predators at izzy’s barn but i think sometimes the effectiveness of them depends in some ways more on your neighbors than on your own farm… i wonder if there are local bird types that eat a lot of flies or gnats? like maybe adding bird feeders (or bat houses??) or something lol? idk… good luck tho!
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My MIL uses fly predators on her 14 acre property and there’s nary a fly there until November, when a few start to show up. It’s a minor miracle. But she is surrounded by almond orchards and not animal-heavy properties, so perhaps that helps things out. (Though there is a disgusting, sludgy canal on one property line.)
I’ve been desperately trying to convince other people to try them, for a good comparison, but no luck so far. My barn has the overhead sprayers and in the barn proper the flies aren’t too terrible, but there are so many flies everywhere else on the property it drives me BANANAS. (I don’t mind the dragonflies so much, but flies and gnats are horrible.)
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Tate looks adorable. ALMOST as cute as Remus! I don’t know how you all handle the humidity. Ugh. I do not miss it one bit
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It is seriously hot right now but the afternoon showers are a life saver. Remus is king of all the land now 🙂 Bermuda hay sucks so I don’t blame him being picky.
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yes we didnt get one today (rain shower) and I feel cheated 😉 and yes it does a flake lasts him 2-3 days …LOL
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Did I ever tell you about the time Ducky threw me to the wasps? It was on the blog, but I think before you found me. Those bastards hurt! I had a black eye from it for forever. Hope you get them wiped out quickly.
My trainer and my college barn both have/had the auto fly sprayers and they are great! I don’t have one, but thankfully the bugs aren’t terrible in my barn. Yet at least.
Hope things cool off and you can start riding again soon! I bet Remus will be really excited to have a buddy soon too.
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he will be a moron once Tate arrives. He will be in love and will be screaming etc. But he is bored on his own I can tell. HA…yes i would have never bought this fly spray thing but will use it for sure 🙂 HA and ugh on thrown on wasps. that would suck…
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Ugh, bugs are awful! The barn I board P at has a good handle on it. They take one of those little pump sprayers and go around the barn daily, in all the stalls, and it has really made a difference. Plus having the fans running, that seems to really help.
Remus vs the garbage man…the EPIC SHOWDOWN. Must record.
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I HATE bugs. At my house, my hubby HEAVILY treats the yard with the all natural garlic spray. It’s not poisonous, and it really does keep mosquitoes away. It also makes our backyard smell like garlic… but it’s worth it!I’ll take the garlic smell over bugs any day. Every barn I’ve been at in the past few years has an automatic bug spray system, and they really do keep the bugs down in the barn. So nice that your place came with one and that your brilliant hubby figured it out!!
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oh lord don’t tell him he is brilliant HA HA HA…..yes i hate bugs too. I had no idea how much i hated them till I got down here. AND i dont even get bit by mosquitoes like my poor husband. He is like fresh bait to them 🙂
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Tate is adorable, and you are probably right in the middle of the worst time to live in TN right now. Remember when it was raining and cold on the east coast, and sunny and beautiful out here?? It will be that way again!
No help on the bug management front. Other than wishing you luck and support lol.
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