Bots galore

[little_critter]

And I don’t mean the computer sort.
I had to borrow a bot knife this evening, I don’t have one, not needed one in years
Both of my horses were covered in bot eggs, just when I thought I had them all I’d have another check over and find another patch.

 

[Cloball]

Darcy has been intermittently covered in them! So hard to predict.

 

[JBM]

I had none last year seem to be EVERYWHERE this year

 

[windswoo]

I'm just having a problem with normal blue bottles, they've made a right mess on one horse's face (he's got a mask on) and been having ago at my poor mare's bits.
Bots - haven't seen any and even the horseflies weren't too bad this summer, but these monsters are horrible. Used more fly repellent in the last week than all summer and going through sudocream like there's no tomorrow

 

[Bobthecob15]

Same, they seem to have made an appearance after years of none...weather related?

Someone yesterday suggested perhaps due to people doing worm counts and not routinely worming like we used to...who knows?

 

[rabatsa]

My field and the RDA field are four miles apart. If I have a bad bot year then the RDA seem to have non and vice versa, it is a rare year we both have non or bots together.

 

[meleeka]

I haven’t seen any bot eggs for many years. There do seem to be more flies around though and less mozzies, but few I have seen have been huge!

 

[Nasicus]

Surprising a lot of you say you haven't had any in years, I've always encountered them here down in Devon! I've ditched the botknife in favour of a hoof knife, a lot more effective at removing the damn things. Maybe not ideal for someone who shows, but I'm yet to see any coat damage, and the hook at the top is great for getting those stubborn ones off.

 

[Gloi]

I've not seen any here in Lancashire on mine for 30 years.

 

[Snow Falcon]

I see them every year in the forest.

 

[daydreamer]

I saw one last year (Essex), haven't seen any this year though I have been in a slightly different area. I last saw them about 30 years ago in Wiltshire.

 

[dorsetladette]

Ours were covered last year, not just legs but all over in places I wouldn't of thought you'd find them. Ben must of had some while out on loan too as when we wormed on his return we found larvae in his droppings.

 

[nikkimariet]

For the first time I’ve had him Rooni was covered in them all the way up to elbows and stifle. Took me ages to knife them off. Vile things.

 

[Gloi]

It's a long time since we've had them but I'm sure we used to wipe them off with paraffin on a cloth.

 

[Carrottom]

Just killed 2, one on each horse

 

[julesjoy]

Mine are covered in eggs. Assuming I can't scrape them all off, what do I need to use for worming and when?

 

[HollyWoozle]

Posted about this recently too, eggs on their legs for the first time in donkeys’ years and couldn’t find our bot knife of course! I used a disposable razor in the end, as suggested by another poster, but have invested in new bot knife too.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Mine are covered in eggs. Assuming I can't scrape them all off, what do I need to use for worming and when?

Recommended to treat once a year in late autumn or early winter with an Ivermectin or Moxidectin product.

 

[julesjoy]

Thanks Errin, nothing I don't do already then, good to know. There are just so many eggs!

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Only takes one horse some where in the vicinity to not be treated for bots and all around will suffer. Having got rid of them here we had a resurgence some years back when our neighbour got a couple of ponies. Long gone now thankfully.

 

[Boughtabay]

I scraped a gross amount off on Tuesday only to find just as many back by Wednesday that’s not happened to me before. I spend a good half hour scraping them off with my fingers last night as the pumice stone grooming block seemed no better than useless on the legs

 

[Bobthecob15]

Only thing that works for us is the bot knife!