Fly infestations on swine operations impact employees, animals and neighbors. Flies can add physical and emotional stress onto pigs that puts them off feed and reduces weight gain, and new research confirms that flies spread diseases to pigs.

After years of battling flies on swine with no effective results, the 2,400-head finishing swine operation, CTA Pork in Warsaw, Ohio began using ClariFly^® Larvicide in a five-week trial to test its effectiveness.

All animals on the operation were given feed that included ClariFly^® Larvicide 267. Starbar^® EZ Trap^® Fly Traps were hung in each of the four areas of the facility, away from fans and air vents where air movement could interfere with fly activity. Each week, the fly traps were collected so that the flies could be counted. Unused traps replaced the traps to collect flies for the next week.

Between Weeks 2 and 3, CTA Pork saw house fly populations decrease by an average of 27% across the four rooms. After five weeks of observing fly populations, each room had experienced a more than 99% reduction in flies compared to its highest recorded number in the study with no room totaling more than 10 house flies by Week 5.

“I could not have asked for better results than I got with ClariFly^®,” said the owner of CTA Pork. “The work environment for my staff is much improved, and just overall more pleasant to be in. I intend to use ClariFly long term now in my facility.”

Fly management programs for swine operations need to be proactive in order to protect profits, pigs and people.

Unlike conventional insecticides that attack the nervous system of insects through direct toxicity, ClariFly^® Larvicide works by interrupting the fly’s life cycle. When mixed into feed, ClariFly^® Larvicide 267 passes through the swine’s digestive system into manure, where flies lay their eggs. There, it disrupts the normal molting process of fly larvae, preventing the emergence of adult flies.

ClariFly^® Larvicide is most effective as part of an IPM program that includes good sanitation, maintained buildings, baits, traps, sprays and foggers. For more information on the CTA Pork trial, download our summary and watch the video below.