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fly control | (Read 199 times) |
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paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 1331
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July 03, 2008, 03:21:33 PM |
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Which common bird is the best at catching flies?
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Charley Hoke
Posts: 66
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July 03, 2008, 07:14:08 PM |
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There are many birds proficient at catching flies as well as other flying insects.
Blue Birds
Purple Martins
Certain Warblers
Nighthawk
Whip-poor-will
Flycatchers
Our favorites here are the Cliff Swallow, Phoebe, and even the Ruby Throated Hummingbird.
Our favorite and most common is the Phoebe. We actually have two nests on our house with Phoebes on them now, this is their second time this year. They have been coming here since we moved here five years ago.
They are a lot of fun to watch. We sit on the porch and see them perched in a sycamore tree, they will fly out catch an insect and return to the tree and enjoy their catch, then fly out and catch another, sometimes this will go on for hours.
The picture is the nest over our bedroom window. Last year a black snake looking for a meal knocked the nest down. The phoebes returned this year and rebuilt.
I'm not sure which is the best at catching flies, but I would guess maybe the Bluebird, swallow, or one of the flycatchers.
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 phoebe.jpg (14.92 KB, 640x480 - viewed 40 times.)
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paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 1331
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July 10, 2008, 12:04:31 PM |
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It kinda seems like the root for some fantastic university study. Which birds to attract for fly control. Go into how many flies they eat per day, and how well they get on with farm animals and people.
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Charley Hoke
Posts: 66
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July 10, 2008, 02:54:42 PM |
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You have stirred my interest in this subject. We do not have a huge problem here with flies and I feel this is in part due to no livestock, and the abundance of Phoebes and Bluebirds.
I found this interesting piece by Joseph Mailliard dated July 14, 1919 in which he states observing Sparrows and humming birds catching flies.
http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v021n05/p0212-p0212.pdf
This is another interesting site that lists some different birds that eat flying insects
http://www.birdnature.com/idbycatchfly.html
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« Last Edit: July 10, 2008, 03:02:44 PM by Charley Hoke »
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SueinWA
Posts: 303
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October 07, 2008, 05:51:37 PM |
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Natural farmer Joel Salatin rotates his cattle from one pasture to another every few days, and then runs free-range chickens behind them. The chickens scratch through the manure the cows left behind, scattering it around and eating all the insect larvae they can find (including fly maggots). Not only does this help keep the fly population down, but it helps break up the parasite cycle in the cattle.
If you aren't familiar with Joel Salatin's farming books, you should check into them. http://www.polyfacefarms.com/books.aspx
You Can Farm
Salad Bar Beef
Pasture Poultry Profits
Everything I Want to Do is Illegal
Holy Cows and Hog Heaven
Family Friendly Farming
Sue
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dvmcmrhp52
Posts: 39
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November 10, 2008, 11:04:19 AM |
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Natural farmer Joel Salatin rotates his cattle from one pasture to another every few days, and then runs free-range chickens behind them. The chickens scratch through the manure the cows left behind, scattering it around and eating all the insect larvae they can find (including fly maggots). Not only does this help keep the fly population down, but it helps break up the parasite cycle in the cattle. If you aren't familiar with Joel Salatin's farming books, you should check into them. http://www.polyfacefarms.com/books.aspxYou Can Farm
Salad Bar Beef
Pasture Poultry Profits
Everything I Want to Do is Illegal
Holy Cows and Hog Heaven
Family Friendly Farming
Sue
Very wise practice I would suggest.
Parasites in cow and horse dung are killed off to a good degree by exposure to sunlight, so having the chickens follow behind is a great idea. Less flies and less deworming needed.
Does any one have any thoughts on predatory insect to control flies?
It's something I've been looking at but what are the real long term effects, and does it work?
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paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 1331
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November 10, 2008, 01:09:44 PM |
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I have visited with a half dozen people that have mentioned some sort of tiny wasp that provides excellent fly control for about six weeks. So they say that they buy more wasps every six weeks or so throughout every fly season.
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paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 1331
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November 11, 2008, 06:57:49 AM |
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I would think it would be possible. I wonder why they don't just buy one batch and they reproduce for ever more after that. After all, I thought that what killed the flies was that the wasp laid eggs in the flies.
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