Bot flies- help?!

[JustKickOn]

Have tried research in Internet, but all I got was gruesome pictures that made me feel rather ill...

First of all, is it the 'season' for bot flies?
Secondly, what do the eggs look like?

Pony had what looked like mini wheat husks on her legs this morning, and a fair few of them too. They didn't brush off, and I pulled a load off with my fingernails.

Are these bot fly eggs? And if so, what's the best way to remove them? (Don't have a bot knife at the yard)

Many thanks in advance
Lizzie

 

[thedunthing]

Sounds like it was eggs from what you have said.
haven't got a clue whether this is time of year for them though.
Grooming blocks are good for getting them off

 

[smiffyimp]

Hi
Scouring pads from the supermarket are good. Dec time is when you usually worm for them (I think).

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

It's about now that bot eggs start appearing and the description you give pretty much describes bot eggs. You don't necessarily need a special knife to scrape them off - any blunt knife will help, although the curved blade of the bot egg knife makes the task easier. You can also buy products that (allegedly) make the hair strands too slippery for the eggs to attach properly. This claim always brings out a "Hmmmmmmmmm....." moment in me and I expect a bot knife would be cheaper than these products and last a lifetime too. Happy scraping!

 

[amandap]

Bot time is from now!

Here's a pic of them on a lower leg but they can be alamost anywhere including mane!! Tey tend to be in clusters and somewhere the horse can reach with it's mouth.

Pick as many off as you can. http://www.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http:...=3&ct=image

 

[JustKickOn]

De-botted her as best as I could and will worm for them later in the year. Thanks everyone