***Orders over $75 ship free with coupon code SHIPFREE.
It took 5 years of experimenting, trial, error, and lot of frustrated donkeys and happy flies to finally get it right. Five years of people asking us if we sold a natural fly repellent, and us telling them no...because nothing really worked. Sure, it worked for 4 or 5 hours, but then the flies were back with a vengeance, and we would have to re-apply or they would be eaten up again.
Now we finally have a fly fighter that actually works, is completely natural and non-toxic for the humans applying it AND the animals on the receiving end. Flies, on the other hand, absolutely HATE it.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
Before fly fighter, donkeys are eaten up by flies, especially on their legs. With Fly Fighter, you can see the difference.
This is NOT for the horse owner who still thinks using toxic pesticides, DEET, and Perethrin are a good idea.
This IS for my fellow equine lovers who understand that a product that requires you to glove up to apply, and has a possible carcinogen warning, may not be a good idea for them, their animals, or their land.
This IS for my fellow equine lovers who are tired of using "natural" products that don't work.
If you're still reading and are not annoyed, perturbed, and put out, this is for you.
You and your lucky donkeys, horses, hinnies, and mules.
PS. We don't discriminate against our other four legged farm animal friends. We just haven't tested it on ALL of them yet! (We have used it on our Maremma Sheepdogs and cows!) If you use it on your furry friends, leave a comment and let us know how it works! (Just google the ingredients for contraindications on your particular pet. Cats are especially tricky when it comes to essential oil adverse reactions.)
Directions: Apply with paintbrush to fly bitten areas, along spine, and between ears. Avoid eye area. May discolor hair on light colored animals.
If your equine prefers a spray over the brush on method, you can make our Fly Fighter into a spray by following the directions below.
Fly Fighter Spray DIY Directions:
- 1 jar Fly Fighter
- 11 oz organic witch hazel
- 6 oz isopropyl alcohol
Put all in 32 oz spray bottle and shake before each use.
Note: this works well, but our donkeys prefer the full strength Fly Fighter, painted on their trouble spots. But, the spray works great for spraying on their backs and bellies for overall coverage.
Fly Fighter Ingredients (*ORGANIC):
- Kiln Burned Pine Tar Pinus Palustris (Pine) Wood Tar
- Proprietary Blend of Organic Oils
P.S. If you're still using Permethrin based fly sprays, you might want to take a look at this info. Just because something is FDA approved...doesn't mean it's safe.
Below are just a few of the reasons we NEVER use Permethrin (from Beyond Pesticides.org):
- Potential Health Effects of Permethrin in Children: "Children may be more sensitive to permethrin than adults: a study found that permethrin is almost 5 times more toxic to 8 day old rats than to adult rats due to incomplete development of the enzymes which break down pyrethroids in the liver.31 Additionally, studies on newborn mice have shown that permethrin may inhibit neonatal brain development...Permethrin may also be linked to pediatric brain tumors...."
- "Immune System Effects: Ingestion of even small doses of permethrin has been shown to reduce the ability of immune system cells to recognize and respond to foreign proteins. Doses equivalent to 1/ 100 of the LD50 inhibited T-lymphocytes and natural killer cells by over 40%.37 In a study that applied varying doses of permethrin to shaved regions of mice, researchers found that dermal absorption caused antibody production to significantly decrease. The study concluded that low-level topical permethrin exposure may produce systemic immunotoxicity.38 A follow-up study found that exposure to sunlight worsened this response.39" (Natural Killer cells are the ones that kill cancer...inhibiting them may not be the best idea...just saying.)
- If you have a breeding program on your farm (or want grandchildren someday), you may want to rethink using Permethrin on your farm or your family..."Effects on Reproduction: Permethrin affects both male and female reproductive systems.40 EPA lists permethrin as a suspected endocrine disrupter.41 Permethrin binds to receptors for androgen (a male sex hormone) in cells from human males.42 It also binds to the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor, which stimulates production of testosterone.43 In a long-term feeding study of mice, permethrin was shown to cause reduced testes weights.44 In another study, researchers found that permethrin had significant estrogenic potency as it inhibited the binding of estradiol to the estrogen receptor.45"
- I'll save the rest about Permethrin, cancer and mutating cells for a blog post. Or, you can just read the research yourself at Beyond Pesticides. After you toss your permethrin products and pants, come on back and order some Fly Fighter.
Leave us a review, or, better yet, ask Mr. Ed to dictate one for you. Because really, we could use some Mr. Ed right now.