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JMTKMS's Buzz Mar 12, 2012
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Anyone out there own horses? With organic as our theme, I am trying to see if anyone uses vinegar in the horses water to eliminate bug (flies and mosquito's) pest? Really do not want to spray poison on them, and really have not had much luck with it.
RussGarner replied about 1 year ago
I don't know about vinegar, but I have heard that a small amount of vegetable oil (not sure how much) in the water will keep mosquito larvae down.  It shouldn't hurt the horses, but I would google the amount of oil.  I know that that is what they recommend when keeping water from runoff the house for irrigation..hope that helps..
JMTKMS replied about 1 year ago
Will check on the oil, but we change the water almost daily so the larvae in the horse waterer is not the problem, but the bugs biting the horses.  I guess the vinegar is supposed to get in their system and maybe the bugs don't like the smell.  Something like that.  There are also some bugs, microscopic, that you can buy and let go in your yard and they are supposed to eat the larvae or bugs.  I might give that a try.  Not quite a wives tale, like vinegar, but organic.  I will have to make sure the little buggys do not bother gardens.  If its not one thing it is always another.  Thanks for your advice.
KellyB replied about 1 year ago
We have other livestock, and we keep all of our water troughs stocked with at least a few pond comets-- the gold fish sold at pet stores as "feeder fish." The fish eat all the bugs and algae and don't need to be fed. No mosquitoes here!
JMTKMS replied about 1 year ago
Our water troughs do not have any larvae...  Its the irrigationÂ... all the farm fields around us.  the water pools and the bugs set in.  There is no way to treat all their fiel..., so we need to treat the horses.

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