Our wet spring makes for a relentless bug season!
Mosquitoes, flies and annoying gnats abound this time of year and ticks are more & more of a problem as our overall local environment warms. These pests can be more than just annoying if they are disease vectors or if your animal is sensitive (allergic) to them. Strategies to decrease the impact of these pests need to be multi faceted. Environmental control is fairly straightforward, addressing cleanliness and husbandry practices at your stable. A myriad of topical products are also available for pest control. With so many products out there the one thing you can be assured of is that no one product does the job perfectly. Most of the topical sprays, wipes and salves are either toxic pesticides or essential oils with limited efficacy. There is a newer product that is different from the others.
Ecovet is a horse fly spray that repels and kills mosquitoes, flies, ticks, no-see-ums (which cause difficult-to-treat allergies) and cockroaches. Fortunately, it has a low toxicity to honeybees. The spray is long-lasting, requiring application every one to three days depending on conditions. Ecovet is made from food grade fatty acids and works by evaporating and creating a repellent vapor barrier. One drawback that we have noted is that the smell is a bit repellent to some humans too. With ongoing environmental changes that lead to potential increases in vector borne diseases like erlichiosis, west nile and lyme disease it's important to make pest control a part of your animal health care program.
