Filth Fly Control on Horse Farms

body parallel to the surface and have downwardfacing mouthparts.
House fly larvae are cream colored to slightly yellowish and have a blunt posterior end that tapers to a point at the head. The larvae go through three stages getting slightly bigger at each stage. Younger larvae are found slightly deeper in the material in which they are developing and older larvae move closer to the surface as they find dryer areas in which to become pupae. House fly pupae are oval red to redbrown and look like rodent droppings. They can be distinguished from rodent droppings primarily by shape with fly pupae being rounded and not tapered at the ends. The fly develops in the pupa stage and emerges as an adult in several days.
Adult house flies can be recognized by the yellowish abdomen black stripes behind the head on the thorax and sponging mouthparts. Photo by Hafiz Issadeen on flickr com Licensed under CC B Y 2 0
Larvae are cream to yellow with a tapered end and a blunt end and pupae are reddish brown and oval in shape. Photo by Department of Entomology University of NebraskaLincoln
House flies are generally larger than stable flies and do not have forwardprojecting mouthparts. Photo by Department of Entomology University of NebraskaLincoln
What You Need to Know about House Flies
Identifying house fly adults is the key to management.
Adults have four black stripes behind the head and a yellow abdomen.
Watch for fly location on the animal body coloration and mouthparts. House flies are found near the eyes nose or wounds and have downwardfacing mouthparts.
House flies hold their body parallel to the surface where  they are resting.
Learn About the Stable Fly
General Biology
Stable flies are biting flies with long pointed mouthparts that can cause pain when biting. Both males and females need to feed on blood daily and

they often feed on the legs. Because stable flies are sensitive to hot summer temperatures seasonal activity differs by environmental conditions and region of the country.
Stable flies can lay several clutches of 60 to 130 eggs. Stable flies can fly several miles to find sites suitable for laying eggs and do seem to frequently develop in equineassociated substrates including manure waste hay especially near round hay bales and other decaying organic matter.
Identification
Adult stable flies are about ¼ to ⅜ inch in body length. They are gray with a tan spot between the black stripes which are slightly lighter in color than on the house fly. Stable flies also have brownishgray spots on the abdomen. Stable flies can be distinguished from house flies at rest by body posture. At rest stable flies hold their body at an angle to the surface with the head higher than the rear and have forwardprojecting mouthparts. This is in contrast to house flies which hold their bodies parallel to the surface and have downwardfacing mouthparts.
Stable fly larvae and pupae are nearly identical to house fly larvae and are often found in the same types of development substrate. If identification of immature filth flies is necessary sample specimens can be collected in isopropyl alcohol and sent to extension educators for identification.
Stable fly adults are typically slightly smaller than house flies although size can be misleading. It is better to look for a checkerboard pattern on the abdomen a tan spot on the thorax behind the eyes and posture. Photo by NobbiP on wikimedia org Licensed under CC B YS A. 3 0
What You Need to Know about Stable Flies
If you see horses constantly stomping you probably have stable flies.
Stable flies have a tan spot behind the head and a checkerboard abdomen.
Watch for fly location on the