In southern Alberta, flies are active from May to October with peak activity in August and September. Reductions may occur with as few as 1 - 2 flies per front leg. A breakdown of potentail production losses by province is shown in Table 1. Costs associated with sanitation, removal of breeeding sites, and and the application of insecticides for fly control are not included in these estimates. As the periods of fly abundance vary from year to year, populations must be monitored routinely to determine optimal times to apply control methods.
Cultural control relies on waste management and good sanitation to reduce fly populations.
A regular schedule of sanitation and waste management will help prevent populations of stable flies from increasing to unacceptable levels and promote numbers of beneficial insects to maintain long-term fly control. The basic principle is to reduce moisture and promote drying of the breeding material. Remove manure and rotting vegetation to eliminate existing breeding sites. Clean up spilled silage and broken bales to prevent future breeding sites. Fix leaky waterers and pipes.