Bot eggs driving me crazy...

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BigYellowHorse

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Any tips on removing and preventing? This is the first year ive had an issue woth bots and havest mite (got those little b***ers under control!!)

Its crazy the amount the ponies are getting on their legs. I fly spray and use a bot knife and grooming block/pumice (possibly need a new knife as last time I used it I thinned a mane with it :-))
 
I've always found the pumice blocks the most effective but was commenting only the other day that it's years since I've seen any sign of bots in our area - mind you this year has been particularly bad for flies after all the wet, I'm considering getting a fly mask for myself ;)
 
They are a huge pain in the arse - i can only pick them off one of mine as a huge pansy. Lets them lay but can i get a knife or pumice nearer him oh no. Every morning i spray coat shine on the legs which seems to get them the worse, i don't do anywhere else as i don't want to fall off lol i need all the help i can get. I have been advised to ivermectin wormer him before usual time Autumn first frost due to the sight of bots.
 
Are bots the same thing as warbles? Are you in the UK OP? I thought they'd been eradicated. Our horses used to have the eggs on their legs very frequently in the 1970s but I haven't seen them since and read online they'd been wiped out in Britain.
 
Spray the legs with a silicon based coat shine like Absorbine Show Shine. My horses have had bot eggs for the first time in years :(
 
FionaM12 said:
See my question above please. I thought they'd been eradicated? :confused3:
Click to expand...

I think they are the same as warbles just a different type of names "i thinks" erm not 100%. I'm sure its a bot fly on my horses they are bad this year but all the flies seem to be bad.
 
Will try the coat shine - anything that speads up the process!!

Warble fly and gad fly are the same - but I dont know about being eradicated in 1990 as I remember picking them off my ponies legs about 8ish years ago, though since them not seen them.

Can also use moxidectin (equest) to treat them - id be interested to know if egg counts test for them or not? I think im going to hedge my bets and worm with either equimax or eqvalan duo.
 
I thought bot larva are excreted and warble larva burrow out from the skin (ergh I feel a nightmare coming on).
Sorry for going OT
 
I'm pretty sure the warble and bit fly are different.

Warble flies lay the egg under the skin, which then turns into a larvae, and looks like a large moving lump under the skin. They then burst out and fly off, leaving marks on the skin. I thought they had been eradicated as they used to lay in cattle therefore damaging the hide and impacting on leather. (My grandparents were cattle farmers and they told me this years ago)

As far as I was aware, bot flies are different and responsible for those yellow small eggs that usually are on horses legs (mine too this year- I didn't have them last year)

I wouldn't trust Wikipedia if I were you as anyone can edit it
 
I haven't got that problem, but would like to know what they look like? Are they tiny, white? Under coat, on top? Anyhoo, has anyonebtried an old school grooming block? It says it removes bot fly eggs (or at least I think it does)? Hope it gets sorted. X
 
Bot fly eggs are yellowish, bit bigger than a pinhead. Usually more common to find them on the horse's lower legs, they are attached to the individual hairs. The adults are the big hornety things that sound like they are wielding chainsaws.

OP I haven't seen any about here this year but it was terrible a couple of years ago. The grooming blocks work well, and I found a spray (think it was barrier animal healthcare) that worked on them and ticks.

ETA It was the Barrier Animal Healthcare 'Parasite Repel'
 
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Thanks rhino, I shall investigate my lad tomorrow (fingers crossed he isn't carrying some...eww) and I do have a grooming block! They are great things they are, my horse always tries to eat it?x
 
We get them pretty bad here in Canada, luckily my girl is black so they show up easily! I use a fragrance-free baby oil gel on her legs which does a super job of keeping them off, and the pumice stone thingy for any on the rest of her. The gel has to be fragrance free though, I bought the normal stuff by mistake last year and had to hose it off as the flies just loved it. The pumice stone is brill in the spring when she sheds, too.
 
Mine have had a bit fly visit for the last week or two it's been endless getting them off 4 horses every day! I'm glad you mentioned this as I haven't had problems with not flys for a few years, like others have said.
 
Bots and warbles ARE different. Warbles have been eradicated , bots not so. They are closely related nuisances! Was amazed to see bot fly eggs on our youngster yesterday, just before a class at a show , so hastily pulled them off! Our horses havent had bot eggs on them for years.
 
Bots and warbles, as far as I remember are not the same and it is warbles that have been eradicated.

I know bots haven't as I was picking them off last week. not too many thankfully, but I just use my nails and pull them out individually. I always find the blocks and combs push some beneath other hair. Using my nails, I just seem able to just pluck them off easily and the girls don't care, they just carry on munching :-)
 
Think im very confused as reading webpages (other than wiki) it has said about the bot flies laying eggs, being ingested and burrowing out of the skin and on others eeggs are ingested and eventually 10months later passed out in poo.

Perhaps warbles and bot are in the same family?
 
I have never come across bot flies before, but reading this I realise that Big Red has bot fly eggs on her. I had noticed the yellowy little bits on her coat, but assumed it was a small grass seed as she is out on long grass at the moment.

Will be digging the baby oil out and get them off her this evening after work.
 
Just to say did a little experiment today with white wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar (the only 2 I had in the house) and apple cider worked really well. Instead of picking them off I found I could just run my nail over them or the bot knife on the less whimpy ones and they would come off far easier than before. will let you know if there are any side effects but I regularly mix it into shampoo when i bath them if they are a little itchy.

If anyone else tries the apple cider vinegar let me know how ot works for you, would be interesting to know.
 
i also emailed Westgate and they said to wait and worm with ivermectin and praziquantel -eqvalan duo or equimax this sept instead of doing ivermectin on its own.
 
I rarely see bot flies at my farm and there are hardly ever any yellow eggs on the horses. I'm pretty up on worming for them though and have encouraged all my neighbours with livestock to also worm for them which I'm sure has helped see the demise of them. When I first moved here 10 years ago there were lots, now they really are a rarity to see.
 
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