Post by simplynaturalfarm on Jun 16, 2010 1:26:05 GMT -5
You all having these horrible mosquitoes? It is seriously unbearable. They are swarming, there is standing water everywhere (we got 9 inches of rain one week and get at least 2-3 every few days!).
DH has threatened to spray and I am so anti spray, but my animals are getting eaten alive. I would hate to lose all the beneficial bugs, plus fill our property with icky chemicals, but how do I break this cycle and also allow my poor animals to put some weight on instead of running to get away?
A lot of the alternative sprays are no more selective than the chemicals - assuming they actually work.
What can I do? The flies are horrible yes, but I am willing to use fly spray. But there really isn't much that targets mosquitoes for cattle - serious lack! I am willing to put a rub in, or use a sprayer or something - I can't really get that close to the three in the field, maybe 6 feet, so rubbing a product on is out.
I am sure they would freak out if I sprayed them, but I am going to have to do something. (I get eaten alive day and night).
I cover up, and have been trying to use my EO mix on myself and I am just horribly allergic to everything and that means my hands arms and face burn from having it on. And now after one night of homemade mix with a few drops of EO, my hands are cracked and burning (and bleeding) and it will take days to heal.
And my poor milking girl, her teats are swollen to half again their regular size from the mosquitoes on them and she is obviously not too happy! I will try my udder balm but I am worried that it might be too much for her udder (okay, so I am allergic to essential oils, ACV etc and can't imagine using it on myself that way *G*).
My homemade spray works for long enough to milk her out without dying or getting swatted, but it wouldn't stay on her teats for long.
I feel like taking them all in the house with me! Or rigging up some sprayer that has an alarm every hour, goes off 1 minute later and the cows are trained to stand under it for some good spray of oils and concoctions.
Seriously, not doing something seems to be borderline abuse!
DH has threatened to spray and I am so anti spray, but my animals are getting eaten alive. I would hate to lose all the beneficial bugs, plus fill our property with icky chemicals, but how do I break this cycle and also allow my poor animals to put some weight on instead of running to get away?
A lot of the alternative sprays are no more selective than the chemicals - assuming they actually work.
What can I do? The flies are horrible yes, but I am willing to use fly spray. But there really isn't much that targets mosquitoes for cattle - serious lack! I am willing to put a rub in, or use a sprayer or something - I can't really get that close to the three in the field, maybe 6 feet, so rubbing a product on is out.
I am sure they would freak out if I sprayed them, but I am going to have to do something. (I get eaten alive day and night).
I cover up, and have been trying to use my EO mix on myself and I am just horribly allergic to everything and that means my hands arms and face burn from having it on. And now after one night of homemade mix with a few drops of EO, my hands are cracked and burning (and bleeding) and it will take days to heal.
And my poor milking girl, her teats are swollen to half again their regular size from the mosquitoes on them and she is obviously not too happy! I will try my udder balm but I am worried that it might be too much for her udder (okay, so I am allergic to essential oils, ACV etc and can't imagine using it on myself that way *G*).
My homemade spray works for long enough to milk her out without dying or getting swatted, but it wouldn't stay on her teats for long.
I feel like taking them all in the house with me! Or rigging up some sprayer that has an alarm every hour, goes off 1 minute later and the cows are trained to stand under it for some good spray of oils and concoctions.
Seriously, not doing something seems to be borderline abuse!