20 years ago flies were a huge problem, not now due to dung beetles
Channel: Zwartbles Ireland Suzanna Crampton
Date: 2021-07-25

Deep shade & dung beetles are a perfect combination to alleviate fly pest stress. So many Irish farmers have stated over the last few days that their cattle are better off not in deep shade but out in the open away from flies. But with the heat we’ve been having that will cause heat stress to livestock. The presents of a bad fly problem is due to the absence of dung beetles on many farms here in Ireland due to pour on insecticides and over worming of livestock. Government departments are even recommending more pour on insecticides during this dry hot spell. This is creating a bigger problem not solving this issue. And it’s not just farmers!!! If you own a pet and put those flea worm drops on your dog every month that’s also an insecticide. Something that’s not been addressed is pets being covered in worm & flea drops. Not meaning to gross people out but shit is very important to a vast number of insects. That  urban dog poop that’s not picked up means those insects that need vitamins & minerals & eat it are weakened or killed by that insecticide as well. No wonder so many city folk that have gardens stuffed with pollinator friendly plants are seeing so few butterflies and not the quantity they would expect. Insects need healthy  unpolluted fecal matter to eat for trace elements & minerals. 




Zwartbles Ireland is a small company run from a farm in County Kilkenny in Ireland. We are a regenerative farm which means restoring soils health and regenerating its natural carbon and nutrient cycle with biodiversity of pasture sward with grasses, legumes, forbs and herbs. This also means we farm with nature. Healthy soils are important for healthy environment. So we encourage all life from the microbial to dung beetles, ants, pollinators to flora biodiversity, birds, hare, hedgehogs, rabbits, fox, badger as well as our livestock. This mean we farm in a style of mob grazing and giving fields long rest times between grazings. We have seen a huge increase and return of wildlife including woodcock and snipe in winter months foraging for dung beetle larvae, red squirrel, wood peckers and pine martens. We also have the rare natter bat and previously thought extinct Tawny Mining bees.
We sell, Zwartbles sheep, Zwartbles blankets and yarn made from the sheep, and calendars featuring Inca the World's Smallest Sheepdog and her coworkers. We also sell alpaca yarn spun for our own alpaca. Our yarns are 100 percent natural, grown by our sheep which grazing our small green Irish fields. This wool is naturally sequestered carbon which you can then knit into warm environmental friendly clothing.