Crab Flies - discusting post (sorry!)

L

Leonie

Member
Joined
1 November 2007
Messages
24
Visit site
How I can only describe them as - is a flying tick crossed with a house fly. I've just imported a horse and was warned that they are rife on the continent. They can fly but mainly hang around horses crevasis. He has a very swollen and pusy area around the top of his dock and I wondered if they are actually burying under the skin?

I've found little info on the internet and wondered if anyone had any experience of them?

Cheers, Leonie.
 
I'm in the New Forest and we have crab flies too. I have not seen one for a few weeks so hopefully they've gone for this year. I don't think there is a fly spray that deals with them believe me I've tried!
They do tend to lurk in crevices such as under tails and between the back legs and a creamy fly repellent might help there. Its best just to locate them and crush (hard) the beasties as they are pretty indestructable. Unless you are in an area that has them anyway you should be ok once you get rid of your imported ones. I don't think they burrow into the skin so the pusy tail may be just due to rubbing which could be another problem ( lice, mites, midges??).
I found it really difficult to find much about them on the web until I spoke to somone that knows about bugs and he said to look up "flat flies" as crab flies are inthe same family. Hope that helps.
 
the crab flies around us are disgusting, i hate them
mad.gif
Bloss always has them landing on her when im out hacking as shes realy hairy and the love burrowing under the coat.

She got pussy areas from them a few years ago aswell.

I really find them horrid, and spend my time squishing them
mad.gif


If your horse is clipped tho you shouldnt have a problem with them.
 
They sound horrible! I'm glad to say we don't seem to have them in the Midlands, but at least I will know if I do see any now!
 
Tempi - do you think the flies were itching her then the area got infected or the flies were buring in the wound?

This is the first time I even knew this flying beasty existed! They take some killing. I crushed it first then it tried to crawl away, after a few squeals, I then stamped on it - still didn't work, I had get someone to pop it between their fingernails - which did the job!

I don't think he has loads & we don't have a problem with them where we live. However I have been warned he may have lice. He does have a full mane & tails and no missing patches of hair? I will get some louse powder just to be on the safe side tho.

Thanks for advice everyone.
 
My OH went to get our old horse in from the field and found her going mad managed to catch her and bring her in. She was stamping her back legs and swishing her tail once she came in. I stuck a hose between her legs to try and calm her down and this thing crawled out!! I had no idea what it was, but you could she the relief in her face. A group of people from the yard had been to the new forest for a week and said it was a crab fly they had brought back. It really looked like a crab I couldn't believe it!
 
[ QUOTE ]
It really looked like a crab I couldn't believe it!


[/ QUOTE ]

Yep they do indeed, they also crawl sideways accross the horse so I'm guessing thats how they got the name! Nasty blighters you gave to use your fingernails to squish them. I always fancied bottling a few to take to comps as would give us a huge advantage
blush.gif
shocked.gif
 
We used to get them a lot on Dartmoor, under the tail is a favourite place. Picking/knocking them off then doing a kind of morris dance on them kills them......eventually. Horrible creatures, we never had any experience of them actually burying under the skin though.

I would suspect that the infected area is a result of bites going bad. I would wash and disinfect the area, keep an eye on it and be prepared to call the Vet if there was no improvement.
 
We have them here in France. Please be very careful around any horse that has them, the poor horse is desperate to get rid, so kicks out. I have noticed that the native horses just accept them.I was on a long distance at the weekend and these flies came up out of the coat, as soon as the horse had gone a few kilometres. I crushed loads, in the manner described by Leonie. Just pull their wings off and crush them.Try putting Vaseline under the dock, and sensitive bits. Trouble is that this will draw muck out of the coat, but anything is better than these horrible flies.
 
We had a plague of them last year, I refused to hack out into the woods next to the stables as they were falling out of every tree and bush and homing in on my fluffy mare. Horrible, horrible things, but like JCWHITE says be careful around horses with them on them, they get a bit violent!
 
A bit violent? Sorry, that's an understatement, some horses go absolutely berserk!!

Nasty little critters, you have to overcome your revulsion and squish them yourself. YUK
 
My New Forest foals arrived 'wearing' them. They weren't at all bothered but when the critters landed on my own 2 ponies they went berserk, bolting round the field thrashing their hind legs and swishing their tail.

I caught a crab fly and bagged it up to show people and find out what it was. My farrier phoned his sister who lives in the New Forest and she told me that they are hard like beetles and have to be crushed between finger and thumb. She said they spray their horses with a mild disinfectant to stop the flies landing, but at that point Newfies were feral and terrified of me.

Eventually the flies died off and luckily didn't breed and come back the following year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top