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What Types of Flies Affect Cattle — and How Do You Control Each One?
Quick Reference: Fly Types & Control Methods
Horn Flies: Breed in fresh manure. Control with IGR feed additives (diflubenzuron/methoprene) and ear tags.
Face Flies: Breed in fresh manure. Primary vector for pinkeye. Control with ear tags and pour-ons.
Stable Flies: Breed in wet straw and decaying vegetation — NOT manure. Control with sprays and sanitation. IGR feed additives do not work.
House Flies: Breed in moist organic matter. Control with traps, baits, and sanitation. Cost to U.S. producers: $2B+ annually from stable flies alone (USDA).
Now that the weather is warming up and fly season is underway, the key to a successful fly control program is understanding the different types of flies that affect your cattle herd.
There are four major types of flies that can wreak havoc on your livestock. Being familiar with each type of fly can help you create an effective plan of action to deal with:
House Flies
Stable Flies
Horn Flies
Face Flies
Download free FBN® Grass Turnout Guide to learn about fly types and recommended fly control products, and continue reading below for further information.
1. What Are House Flies and How Do They Affect Cattle?
The most common type of fly in the United States, house flies are a common pest to humans and affect all types of livestock. Often found in warm areas out of the wind, they typically eat garbage, manure, animal carcasses, human food, and livestock feed.
House flies breed on any organic matter with 40-70% moisture, including fresh manure, spilled liquid, feed, bedding, and decaying vegetation. In other words, anywhere that is moist. House fly larvae (aka maggots) look like small grains of rice. The house fly life cycle is typically 15-30 days.
While house flies are known to transmit pathogens to humans, they generally aren’t harmful to livestock. They are more of a nuisance and will aggravate animals more than anything. However, it’s still worth ensuring they are controlled to prevent undue stress on your animals.
When it’s time to eradicate house flies, your key plan of action is to control sanitation around livestock, larva control, baiting, and sprays. Starbar® Fly Terminator® Pro Fly Trap With Attractant is an effective product to help control house flies.
2. What Are Stable Flies and How Much Do They Cost Producers?
Stable flies have a painful bite and affect all types of livestock by feeding on their blood. They tend to feed on the legs of cattle.
Stable flies have a life cycle of about 21-30 days. They rest in vegetation and breed on wet straw, spilled feed, and decaying vegetation. Surprisingly, stable flies do not breed in manure.
Stable fly bites are stressful to cattle and can cause anemia, decreased weight gain, and decreased milk production. According to the USDA, stable flies cost producers more than $2 billion per year in lost production.
Permethrin SFR, which dilutes with water or oil, is a particularly effective spray to help eliminate stable flies. It is labeled for use on lawns, landscapes, around homes, and barns for a very broad spectrum of insects beyond flies.
Similar to getting rid of house flies, prevent stable flies by first cleaning and sanitizing around your animals. Larva control and fly traps are an effective method of dealing with stable flies as well. However, since stable flies do not breed in manure, feed additives such as insect growth regulators (IGR) would not be an effective course of action.
3. What Are Horn Flies and What's the Best Way to Control Them?
Horn flies are nasty little pests that feed on the blood of pasture cattle by biting their backs. They’re rarely found inside of buildings, instead preferring to rest on vegetation and breed in fresh, undisturbed manure.
Horn flies create serious issues for cattle due to their painful bites. Research from the University of Nebraska estimates horn flies cost the U.S. cattle industry more than $1 billion annually in lost production, primarily through reduced weight gain in beef cattle and lost milk production in dairy herds. A single animal can be attacked by 200–400 horn flies per day at peak season.
Living only 10-20 days, horn flies have a shorter life span compared to other fly types. They can lead to:
Decreased weight gain in beef cattle
Loss of milk production in dairy cows
Damage to cattle hides
The most effective way to deal with horn flies is through the use of pour-ons and IGR feed additives containing active ingredients such as methoprene and diflubenzuron. ClariFly® Larvicide Premix 0.67% contains diflubenzuron and is available on the FBN Animal Health Store.
Timing matters with IGR feed additives. Start including ClariFly® or similar IGR products in your feeding program approximately 30 days before average daily temperatures reach 65°F, or when flies first appear. Continue treatment until 30 days after the first frost in fall. Stopping too early allows horn fly larvae to overwinter in manure and emerge the following spring.
Dominator® Ear Tags is another helpful product to consider. While it doesn’t contain methoprene or diflubenzuron, it will provide up to five months of control of horn flies — including synthetic pyrethroid-resistant horn flies — and can be used on calves of any age.
4. What Are Face Flies and Why Are They a Disease Risk for Cattle?
Face flies affect pasture cattle and are rarely found inside buildings. They feed on mucus secretions around the eyes, nostrils, and mouths of cattle — which makes them particularly dangerous, not just annoying.
Face flies are the primary vector for infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), commonly known as pinkeye. IBK is one of the most economically significant cattle diseases in the U.S., causing eye inflammation, temporary or permanent blindness, and significant production losses. A single face fly can carry IBK-causing bacteria (Moraxella bovis) from animal to animal across a herd rapidly.
Like horn flies, face flies rest in vegetation and breed in fresh, undisturbed manure. They live 15–25 days. In addition to pinkeye transmission, they can cause cattle to reduce feed consumption, leading to lower milk production and slower weight gain.
Best control methods: Ear tags are the most effective front-line control for face flies because they deliver continuous insecticide protection directly near the eyes and face where face flies feed. Dominator® Ear Tags provide up to five months of protection. Pair with an IGR feedthrough additive like ClariFly® Larvicide Premix 0.67% to disrupt breeding in manure. Tempo® 1% Dust can serve as a supplemental treatment when applying insecticide dust directly to animals.
Don't Wait Until Flies Are Already a Problem
By the time you're seeing large fly populations, you've already lost production. The most effective fly control programs start 30 days before fly season peaks — giving IGR feed additives time to work and getting ear tags on cattle before face flies and horn flies establish. FBN ships fly control products directly to your farm or ranch.
The FBN Animal Health Store offers fly control products that can help with the different types of flies:
House flies:
Starbar® Fly Terminator® Pro Fly Trap With Attractant – Disposable trap with built-in attractant. Effective for reducing house fly populations around barns and feed areas.
Stable flies:
Permethrin SFR – Broad-spectrum insecticide spray that dilutes with water or oil. Labeled for use on barns, lawns, and landscapes. Effective against stable flies and a wide range of other insects. Note: stable flies breed in wet bedding and spilled feed, not manure — sanitation is equally important.
Horn flies:
ClariFly® Larvicide Premix 0.67% – IGR feedthrough additive that prevents horn fly larvae from developing in treated cattle manure. Start 30 days before fly season.
Dominator® Ear Tags – Up to 5 months of horn fly control, including pyrethroid-resistant populations. Safe for calves of any age.
Face flies:
Dominator® Ear Tags – The primary tool for face fly control, delivering continuous protection near the eyes and face. Pair with
ClariFly® Larvicide Premix 0.67% for full-season manure-stage control.
You can also order baits and traps.
We offer convenient online shopping and will delivery direct to your farm or ranch. If an animal health product requires a prescription, enter your preferred veterinarian's contact information at checkout, and we'll reach out to them for you.
Download the FBN Grass Turnout Guide for more tips and fly control recommendations.
Frequently Asked Questions About Flies and Cattle
Which fly causes the most economic damage to cattle herds?
Stable flies and horn flies are the costliest. Stable flies cost U.S. producers over $2 billion annually (USDA). Horn flies are estimated to cost over $1 billion in lost beef and dairy production. Face flies compound losses further through pinkeye transmission.
Do IGR feed additives work on all four fly types?
No. IGR feed additives like ClariFly® work by passing through the animal's manure and disrupting larval development there. They are effective against horn flies and face flies, which breed in fresh, undisturbed manure. They do not work against stable flies, which breed in wet straw, spilled feed, and decaying vegetation.
When should I start fly control in the spring?
Begin IGR feed additives and ear tags approximately 30 days before average daily temperatures reach 65°F, or at first fly appearance. Starting early prevents populations from establishing rather than trying to knock them down after the fact.
Can face flies cause blindness in cattle?
Yes. Face flies are the primary vector for infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), commonly called pinkeye. Left untreated, IBK can cause corneal scarring and permanent vision loss. Controlling face fly populations is one of the most effective ways to reduce pinkeye incidence in a herd.
What's the difference between horn flies and stable flies?
Both bite cattle, but they behave differently. Horn flies live on the animal almost continuously, feeding up to 30 times per day on the back and sides. Stable flies feed briefly on the legs, then leave to rest in vegetation. This matters for control: horn flies respond well to ear tags and pour-ons; stable flies require environmental sanitation and contact sprays.
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