Protecting Kentucky's horses with sustainable fly control
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 14, 2025) — As the “horse-capital of the world,” Kentucky is home to a thriving population of horses - and a rampant population of flies. As a horse owner myself, there is nothing I care more about than the welfare and comfort of my horse, and flies are one of the greatest obstacles to care we face; they can cause painful bites, potentially transmit infection, and can cause horses to act out in unpredictable ways to get the pests off their bodies. In a state where horses are central to our identity and economy, addressing the fly problem is a matter of critical importance.
This year, I was selected as one of UK’s Summer Sustainability Research Fellows to take a closer look at the potential of using parasitoids – wasps that feed on fly larvae and pupae – to combat the abundance of flies on horse farms. Parasitoids provide a great alternative to some of the harsher methods of fly control like chemically spraying repellent which can have negative effects on the environment and people when inhaling these substances. They’re also more economically friendly!
