Got bots?
Posted by on Sep 18, 2010 in Welfare | 0 commentsIf you look carefully you may see little yellow eggs on your horses legs and stomach. These are insect larvae produced by adult bot flies. These bee like looking insects usually linger around the horses chest and front legs. If licked off the larvae can get into the horse’s mouth, later attaching themselves to the stomach lining where they develop into full-grown bots. This can lead to ulcers in the stomach which can be fatal. Hard frosts will eventually kill off the adult flies but until then it’s important to try and remove the bots with a tool such a bot knife seen here or a grooming block. Ensure your Autumn worming routine addresses bots and tapeworms with a wormer containing ivermectin or moxidectin.
A specific knife for removing bot eggs
A bot fly depositing its eggs
The damage - bot fly lavae attached to a horses stomach