Equestrian pest control is a very important topic when it comes to taking care of your buildings and looking after your horse’s wellbeing. Your equestrian buildings are very likely to be invaded by different kinds of pests, and without proper pest control, they may get damaged. This may lead to undesirable, and frankly unlivable conditions for your horses.
Some of the most common pests which may move into your equestrian properties are rats, mice, mites, ticks, flies, fleas, and fire ants. To avoid infestations from these pests, various pest control techniques can be used, but it’s important to be careful as quite often they will have toxic components, and these toxic chemicals can be equally harmful to both you and your horse’s health and wellbeing.
In this article, we have listed some of the effective ways of managing pests so that you are taking care of your equestrian buildings whilst creating a healthy environment for you and your horse.
- Firstly, correctly managing horse waste and manure can prevent flies and other undesirable pest infestations. These pests are most likely to breed in anything moist, which can be very unpleasant. It is essential to have a regular and effective removal system. Some of the most effective ways to do this are by installing gutters and downspouts. Similarly, if you spot any leaky taps or old buckets, pots, and other unnecessary things lying around, it’s best to fix, clean, or remove them.
- Build a small birdhouse or nest boxes to get insect-eating birds to nest around your buildings. This is a more natural way to reduce flying insects and other bugs. Some of the most common insect-eating birds include house sparrows, blackbirds, wood pigeons, dunnocks, and carrion crows.
- Encourage bats to move in. Yes, bats, we know it sounds a little scary, but bats are known to eat up to 600 mosquitoes in an hour, they also eat other pests such as moths, beetles, and corn borers.
- Using insect traps is the cheapest and easiest way to get rid of insects around your yard. You can make use of old fashion sticky traps and sticky tapes. You can use brightly coloured traps to attract them.
- Another cheap way to get rid of insects such as mites, whiteflies, beetles is by using plain soap water. You also can add oil to trap and kill the pests quicker. Alternatively, you would buy non-toxic pest sprays in your local supermarket.
- As for bigger pests such as rats, it can get a little trickier. You can start by removing or blocking places that look like a potential nest place and ensure that all the gaps around your buildings are sealed. Also, it is essential to properly manage your waste by avoiding food or any other waste being scattered around your buildings. And lastly, if using traps, ensure that you are careful so that your horses or other household pets do not stumble into them and get hurt.
So, there you are, some simple methods to look after your horse and your equestrian buildings. We hope these tips come in handy if you are considering a more non-toxic way to look after your buildings.
Meanwhile, if you are looking for high-quality equestrian buildings, barns, stables, and shelters, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01380 850 965 or head over to our contact us page. We promise we won’t leave any gaps for big critters to move in through! 🙂
