MSN_091219

malibusurfsidenews.com sound off
Malibu surfside news | September 12, 2019 | 13
Don’t Panic, It’s Organic
The many recipes for organic fly control
Andy Lopez
Invisible Gardener
Contributing Columnist
Many horse owners
struggle with
organically controlling
flies.
The most crucial aspect
of natural fly control is
manure control. To me,
that means turning manure
into compost. Many cities
have issues with piles of
manure that attract flies and
also leak into rivers and the
ocean; this is understandable.
So, I will lightly cover
some of the basics of
natural fly control as well
as some compost basics.
Biological fly control
Biological fly control
is a simple method of
eliminating flies before
they become pests that can
spread diseases and become
a nuisance to you and your
horses. Since it is biological,
pesticides are not required.
These are harmless,
gnat-sized fly parasites and
are a natural enemy of flies.
They deposit eggs in the fly
pupa, destroying the fly in
its pupal stage. For best results,
follow instructions as
to how many and when to
release the parasites. I suggest
using Fly Eliminators,
available from arbico.com,
but there are many on the
market. Fly Eliminators are
used by horse and livestock
owners, and do not bother
horses, cattle, livestock,
pets or plants.
Manure control
Remove manure and treat
heavily urinated areas with
a garden grade or foodgrade
DE. Odor control will
help eliminate fly-breeding
habitats. EM-1, a microbial
spray, can used to reduce
and eradicate breeding
areas. The bacteria in EM-1
breaks down decaying
organic matter that attracts
adult flies.
SCD Barn Kleaner/SCD
ScentGuard works similarly
to EM-1. Barn Kleaner
can be applied directly
to manure to speed up
decomposition. Compost
waste, repair leaking water
and keep food storage dry.
The best manure control is
turning it into compost!
Maggot control
Use Beneficial Nematodes
near manure and
other breeding areas to
control maggots.
NemAttack are Beneficial
Nematodes which
parasitize a wide variety
of common pest insects,
including maggots. After
two weeks, noticeable
reductions in target pest
populations will occur and
therefore must be applied
regularly.
BalEnce Fly Spray can
be used to treat breeding
areas and stalls to kill maggots
as they develop. This
contains a beneficial fungus
used for insect control in
gardens, farms and livestock
settings.
Hister beetles are commonly
released in poultry
facilities for biological
fly control. Hister beetles
feed on fly eggs and larvae
(maggots). Both larvae
and adult hister beetles are
predatory. They are also
available from arbico.com.
Garden Grade or Food
Grade Diatomaceous Earth
is an effective abrasive that
works within 48 hours of
contact to kill soft-bodied
maggots. You can feed
your horses food-grade DE,
which will not hurt them
but will control flies in their
manure as well as help
them control any worms
they may have. Garden
Grade DE can be added to
water and sprayed on the
manure piles and around
the barn. It becomes effective
when it dries.
Adult fly control
Trapping adult flies and
spraying your animals is effective
in controlling adult
flies.
A solar fly trap, a longlasting
aluminum trap, attracts
and catches adult flies
with a yeast bait. Each trap
comes with one bait pack,
enough for five weeks.
Rinse the trap out and add
more bait to use it from
season to season.
Another option is the Insect-A-Peel
System, which
can be used in barns, fields,
gardens and greenhouses.
Yellow sticky tape can
be hung in barns, around
pastures and other areas
with large fly numbers. It is
sticky on both sides and can
be cut for spot treatment
uses. Add essential oils as
attractants for specific pest
insects.
ARBICO Organics Holistic
Fly Defense is an essential
oil-based insect repellent
for horses, livestock and
pets. Holistic Fly Defense
repels manure flies, biting
flies, mosquitoes and more.
Espree Aloe Herbal
Horse Spray — a nonirritating
repellent spray
that uses essential oils to
repel flies — is a favorite of
horse owners! Rinse off after
every third application.
Compost production
It is highly advisable
to turn all of your animal
manure into healthy, clean
compost.
You do this in stages.
First, make a mixture of
one part rock dust blend.
Try blending as many different
sources of rock that
you can get. The variety
will provide you with a balance
of minerals. Rock dust
also is a certain percentage
of Silica, which is what DE
is mostly. By adding this
blend, you also will be controlling
the flies as well as
providing the need for trace
minerals. Rock dust, when
added to manure, binds
the nutrients, 1/10 part of
the microbial blend. There
are many microbials in the
market — some made by
the various biodynamic
groups on the internet. The
more varied, the better.
Just Google biodynamic
formulas.
Compost production sources
Down to Earth (1-800-
234-5932) has all the rock
dust you will need. The
ones to get for this area are
azomite, gypsum, sulfate
of potash, calphos and rock
phosphate.
They also carry Bokashi,
which will help in the composting
process.
Blend the rock dust
in equal amounts. For
example, 50 pounds of each
blended, except for the
soft rock phosphate, which
should be used at half the
amount. So 25 pounds per
every 100 pounds of the
other rock dust. Follow instructions
as to the application
of the Bokashi.
Arbico (1-800-827-2847)
has EM-1 Microbial Inoculant
and SCD Probiotic Barn
Kleaner. Follow instructions
as to application rate. It can
be sprayed directly onto
the manure piles as well as
when first collected.
Biodynamic Association
(262-649-9212)
has compost preparations
#502,503,504,505
,506,507, and spray preparations
#500.
The Josephine Porter
Institute for Applied Biodynamics
(540-745-7030) is
another good source, as is
biodynamicsource.org and
Earth Legacy Agriculture
(earthlegacyagriculture.
com; 276-930-1377)
Next week, I’ll share
more on compost production.
Any questions? Email me at
andylopez@invisiblegardener.
com.
police
From Page 11
Aug. 19
• An iPhone valued at $200,
sunglasses valued at $300,
and a wallet containing
$100 cash and credit cards
reportedly were stolen from
a vehicle parked at Malibu
Lagoon State Beach, 23200
PCH. The driver parked
his vehicle at 7:25 a.m. on
the north side of the highway,
and went to the beach.
Before going surfing, he
placed a bag containing
his car key on the beach.
When he returned at about
9 a.m., his bag was missing,
his car unlocked and
items missing. The victim’s
credit cards were used for
over $400 in purchases at
Walmart and Target in West
Hills.
• Medicine of an unknown
value and wireless device
accessories valued at $25
reportedly were stolen from
a rental car parked at Malibu
Lagoon State Beach,
23200 PCH. A window was
smashed to gain entry.
• A Dakine backpack valued
at $160 and a two wetsuits
(total value $160) were
among the items reportedly
stolen from a Chrysler
Town & Country parked at
a residence on Rambla Vista
between Aug. 18-19. The
alleged victim stated that
entry to the car probably
came through an open door.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The
Malibu Surfside News police
reports are compiled from official
records on file at the Los
Angeles County Lost Hills/
Malibu Sheriff’s Department
headquarters. Anyone listed
in these reports is considered
to be innocent of all charges
until proven guilty in a court
of law.