Bot flies. seeing less and less each year!

Fii

Fii

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Last year i saw only two or three Bots, this year i have seen only one so far!
Is the weather killing them off? or the removal of eggs before they are ingested? Worming?
or are you still seeing loads of them and we just seem to be lucky here?

I have horses/ponies in three different sites so not just one place!
 
Wow do you guys live in some magical bot free zone?! I've had to swat and stamp on about 10 so far!!not to mention the endless battle of removing the eggs! Very jealous!
 
Ive only seen eggs on one mare this year. Funnily enough thats on a new horse thats just come onto my worming programme.
 
Funny, hadn't thought about this, but yes I agree :) Haven't scraped a bot egg in years, remember having to do it loads a few years ago.
 
Haven't seen as many for a good few years, had my pony 8 years and first 2 years using my bot knife to get off loads off front legs and on sides but nothing to speak off the last few years. Hope it is that they are appearing to be less though do wonder as coats been a bit funny this year due to weather whether they are there deeper amongst hairs and I'm just not spotting them...
 
My lot have eggs this year, it's doing my nut in.. None for years before.. Perhaps it's area specific..
 
My god - you're right!! I haven't seen any bot eggs on my horse this year!! I'd forgotten about it till I saw this! Normally we get a fine covering of them. I guess it's probably worming that's destroyed them.
 
Just googled bot fly and it seems they can actually infect the eyes of humans and it says you should always wash your hands after removing them from your horse, and be careful not to rub your eyes after handling the eggs. Yuck.
 
hardly anything on my mare this year she had one day with a patch on the fetlock then just the odd egg dotted here and there, nothing like i remember it! also some good news...horse flies are dying off too! yay no more nasty bites!! :D
 
We've certainly had the same number of horse flies - the ones that are officially called stable flies, apparently, but not those massive *********s that are the size of a hornet and sound like a low flying WWII aeroplane - not seen those for a couple of years.
 
We still get them :confused:

An EDT told me that the best way to get rid of bot eggs off of horses legs is simply to wash with warm, soapy water. The eggs immediately turn to larvae and wash away.

The EDT sees alot of horse with supposed ulcers in their mouths. Apparently they are not ulcers but bot larvae. Horses rub/lick their legs and the bot eggs get into their mouth. The ideal hatching environment for the eggs is the moist, warmth of the mouth which is replicated with washing in warm water.
 
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