Fly Control in Poultry Houses
An integrated strategy, combining good hygiene and effective chemical control, is essential. The key to fly control is to prevent larvae from maturing into flies with a larvicide. John Widdowson, Vice Chairman of the British Free Range Egg Producers Association, recommends Neporex saying:
- “I can’t rate it highly enough – the product does exactly what it says it will, and I now have total confidence in it. I will definitely use Neporex again and I always start early so that flies don’t get a chance to build up”.
- Neporex should be applied to fly breeding sites, such as manure pits. It will not harm beneficial beetles that aid fly control by feeding on maggots.
- Neporex can be applied dry or, as John Widdowson recommends, in liquid form, sprayed through the slatted floor. The treatment is effective for 4 – 8 weeks.
- For long term fly control Novartis recommend using Neporex concurrently with rotating adulticides Oxyfly and SpY to prevent resistance build up.
- Effective against all known resistant fly strains, SpY should be diluted with water and used as a paint-on application.
- Oxyfly is now also licensed for red mite control and should target areas where red mite shelter such as rails, air shafts, around and beneath water and feed containers and foraging paths to the nest boxes.
- Good house hygiene includes removing bird carcasses and leaking eggs daily, keeping manure as dry as possible and locating disposal heaps away from the hen house.