Choosing a fly, mosquito, or tick formula for your horse or barn is a lot like selecting a hand lotion: You can pick from extra moisturizing, scented, hypoallergenic, etc., or packaged in tubes, jars, bottles, but the bottom line is they are all still lotions. Ditto the equine insecticides. There are plenty of them out there, but the vast majority are pyrethrins and their synthetic derivatives, pyrethroids. Sure, there are some non-pyrethrin/pyrethroid formulas (herbals and a couple of other chemical varieties), but choices are pretty limited.

Flower Power

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content. TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com. Start your free account today! SIGN UP Already have an account? Login and continue reading. Share Marcia King Marcia King is an award-winning freelance writer based in Ohio who specializes in equine, canine, and feline veterinary topics. She’s schooled in hunt seat, dressage, and Western pleasure. MORE ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Related Articles Small Feet, Big Responsibility: Hoof Care for Foals Combating the Equine Welfare Consequences of Isolation Joint Injury in Horses: What to Do Before the Vet Arrives Keeping the School Horse Sound and Healthy Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com Learn More Sponsored Content What’s the Best Gut Supplement for Your Horse? The Importance of Prevention in Equine Osteoarthritis The 3 Worst Threats to Your Horse’s Skin—and What to Do About Them Weekly Poll sponsored by: How often do you apply fly spray to your horse during peak fly season? Once daily More than once a day Several times a week Once per week or less I don't use fly spray 66 votes · 66 answers VOTEView poll resultsBack to vote View All Polls Readers’ Most Popular Running Loose: Tackling Chronic Diarrhea in Horses The 3 Worst Threats to Your Horse’s Skin—and What to Do About Them 5 Secrets to Stronger Hooves Parasite Control for Today’s Horses Top Categories Breeding and Reproduction Nutrition Horse Care Hoof Care Diseases and Conditions Vet and Professional Sign In Username Password Remember Me Log In Lost your password? Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here. Create a free account with TheHorse.com! "*" indicates required fields Name* First Last Email* Mobile Phone Password* Enter Password Confirm Password Country* United StatesCanadaAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongo, Democratic Republic of theCongo, Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatini (Swaziland)EthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth GeorgiaSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan Mayen IslandsSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUS Minor Outlying IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland Islands Profile Do you own a horse? Yes No How many horses do you own? Do you own a horse trailer? Yes No Do you own a horse farm? Yes No What is your primary involvement in the horse industry? Horse OwnerRiderTrainerFarrierVeterinarian or Vet StudentVet Technician or Vet Tech StudentOther (Please Specify) Other Involvement In which equestrian disciplines do you ride, show, or participate? Western English Newsletter Offers Weekly Newsletters Horse Health - the latest in horse health care, disease, and equine research, delivered to your inbox once a week. Nutrition - Equine nutrition and feeding strategies Soundness & Lameness - Recognizing, treating, and preventing injuries to keep your horse sound Welfare & Industry - Equine welfare and rescue, and news of the worldwide horse industry Reader Favorites - The most viewed content from TheHorse.com delivered in a convenient weekly digest Monthly Newsletters Equine Behavior - How and why horses act the way they do and how to correct problem behaviors Breeding - Breed and raise the healthier horses with help from the world's foremost breeding experts Older Horse Care - How to take the best possible care of your senior equine friends Sports Medicine - All aspects of caring for performance horses Vet & Professional - News and issues for equine health professionals Other Newsletters In-Depth - News, in-depth information, and timeless tips on a particular health problem or aspect of horse care Equine Innovators - Stay updated with insightful interviews featuring leading equine researchers from top universities and institutions in this podcast series. TheHorse.com Announcements - Event notifications and special promotions from TheHorse.com TheHorse.com Partners and Special Offers - Special offers from TheHorse.com's partners SMS Notifications - I would like to receive text messages with special offers and more from Equine Network and its affiliates. Data rates may apply. By clicking "subscribe", I consent to Equine Network’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service and I represent that I am over 16 years old. Close GDPR Cookie Settings Privacy Overview Strictly Necessary Cookies Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Strictly Necessary Cookies Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. Enable or Disable Cookies Enabled Disabled Enable All Save Settings