Savagecowgirl, ACV, Apple Cider Vinegar is great for those welts and other insect bites, on horses AND people. Just wipe some on the site a couple times per day, and in a few days, the welts are gone, and no infection.

A home remedy that I've had good use from is, water and ACV or Apple Cider Vinegar. For general use, I use 1:1 mix of equal parts water to vinegar in a spray bottle. If that doesn't work, play with the ratio a bit by adding a bit more ACV than water. For around their eyes and on their face, use a soft cloth. Spray the mixture on the cloth, then wipe around their eyes and nose. Oh yeah, might want to wipe it around and in their ears, too. This works on flies, too. You can also add about 1 cup of ACV to their feed for an internal application. This works for a more long-term solution. I've found that flies won't lay eggs in their feces once a degree of prophylaxis has developed. All this means is that a certain level of ACV is in their system all or most of the time.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but WD40 isn't fish oil. it's meneral spirits mostly. Its best use is to take gum up from bumper stickers and as a solvent. this is from their site in their words....Myth: WD-40 contains fish oil. Fact: Consumers have told us over the years that they have caught some of the biggest fish ever after protecting their fish hooks and lures with WD-40. We believe this legend came from folks assuming that the product must contain fish oil since it appears to attract fish. Sorry Charlie®, it just ain’t so. WD-40 Company has taken steps to respect and conserve the environment, and encourages its users to do the same. While WD-40 can be used to help protect fishing equipment from rust and corrosion, WD-40 Company does not recommend using WD-40 to attract fish.

Flies are really bad in so cal this year. These are great tips. I am going to try this!

IDK how much, it is a guessing game with DE. I used a 1/4cup scoop & sprinkled 3-4 scoops over the top. The algae disappeared in a couple of days, the wiggletails were a little longer in disappearing, but are gone, too. Thanks for the idea, Ranger, it was a big help! Vicky

I deal with gnats that swarm around the horse's head and mine. They gravitate towards the highest part of the body. If you raise your arms they leave your head. I decided to try the vanilla extract on myself. It worked! And I smelled yummy too, lol) For algae in the water trough, I used 1 tsp of copper sulfate per 100 gals. It keeps algae under control. Kathy

I decided to be dedicated in using diotatomaceous earth this year. Before I wasn't using it regularly. I have been giving it to horses and goats. There are almost no flies around my place - not even when I sit on the deck. It almost shocking to see the difference. Horses look great, no constant tail swishing. They stand in the barn with no tail action, same in the pasture. It's almost wierd. Flies were terrible. Good stuff and sure not expensive or hard to use. Think I'll try some in the tanks next. Had been putting pennies in them which helps some.

diotatomaceous earth should not hurt your fish in a tank, it is one of the ingredients in a biological fish tank filter. What it will do is kill all the larvae and stop the algea growth the fish were feeding on. When I started putting it in my tanks I gave away my fish as I knew it would kill all the live organisims they were feeding on, you then have to feed your fish.

Don't have fish in the water, the diatmacious earth seems to kill them. I have lost gold fish that I keep in the water trough for mosquito larve. When I cleaned out feed buckets or rinse my hand in the water. I think that some of the fish got a little too much. so I keep it away from the water and just hose out the buckets. Kay

Ranger: In the water? Good idea, I had not thought of that! Thanks for the info, I'll give it a try.