The bot fly can wreak havoc on your equine’s health as they are capable of laying 100’s and sometimes 1000’s of eggs which can lead to nasty infestations and even life threatening conditions such as colic. But what are the best ways to deal with these buzzing pests?
How you treat a bot fly issue will greatly depend on the stage you notice it. A good start for dealing with bot flies affecting your horses is to create a bot fly control program. We suggest working with your veterinarian to devise a plan that works best for your horse, but here are a few practices that can help avoid bot fly infestations:
Grooming:
Grooming your horse daily and removing the bot eggs with a grooming tool called a Bot Knife. These special knives have a rounded blade with serrated edges which are able to remove the sticky eggs that are affixed to the horse’s coat.
Fly Spray:
Spraying your horses with fly spray preparation during the bot fly season will help keep the bot flies away, but also aid in other pests that may bother your horses during this season.
Manure Removal:
It is important that manure is removed regularly from the horse’s living environment as manure is the mechanism whereby bot flies complete their final development in their lifecycle before maturing into egg laying flies.
Dewormer:
Despite bot flies not being a “worm” as such, there are a number of wormers which are very effective against Bot larvae infestations that have made it to the digestive tract.
Turnout Schedules:
Further measures to avoid bot infestations can be made with your horses turnout schedule. By turning your horses out late in the evening just after dark and bringing in early in the morning can help slow and possibly prevent bot infestations. This is due to the fact that bot flies typically do not like dark conditions and thrive in the sun of the day.
Fans:
If your horse is routinely stalled or stabled, the use of a strong barn fan during the summer months will help decrease the population of bot flies in that living area.
With each of these options you can help significantly reduce the risk of bot flies to your horses, and may save your horse from a severe infestation which can be life threatening if left untreated.