Confined Livestock Feeding Facilites: Control of Stable Flies and Hosue Flies

Stable flies and house flies are major pests near confined livestock facilities, cattle feedlots, and dairies, and cost livestock producers millions of dollars annually, especially in the more human environment of eastern South Dakota. Losses result from decreased weight gains and production by cattle that suffer the attack of the stable fly. Economic losses due to the house fly are much more difficult to determine, but nevertheless they are a nuisance to livestock and people. A problem is emerging with these two flies, especially the house fly. As urban development gradually spreads into what were traditionally agriculture production areas, the distance closes between rural residents and live-stock operations. Flies move to town. Soon “nuisance lawsuits” citing livestock feeding facilities and dairies for “dust, odor, and flies” will be requesting punitive damages or, worse yet, the closing of livestock feeding facilities and dairies. In recent years table flies have also become a problem with pasture cattle in eastern South Dakota. The problem worses because traditional fly control methods used for horn flies and face flies do not work on stable flies and house flies