Getting RID of BOT FLIES and EGGS vent!

[WhenPigsFly]

Ok ... I know how to use the little tool to get the bot eggs off of every conceivable crevice of my horses. I have also learned that you can wet down the eggs with warm liquid and they release and come off easier (comes in handy when they have dotted the mane!).

What I am wondering is ... is there anyway of keeping the bot flies off of my horses altogether? They are sprayed with fly spray ... my mare rolls regularly in a really muddy whole ... but these things are not working.

Just a bit aggravated that I spent an hour of riding time taking Bot Fly Eggs off of my guys! Yuck!

[ASB Stars]

Absolutely! You need to make sure that you are using a worming program that kills the bots before they turn into flies!

I had not seen a bot egg in so long that I was just shocked when there were some on on of my rescues legs. I immediately upped the ante on the worming program- for everyone on that farm- and no more bots!

[SmartAlex]

That's funny, I haven't thought of bot flies in YEARS. That's because I haven't seen one since probably the late 1980s. Let's hear it for regular worming!

[WhenPigsFly]

First and foremost, ALL of my horses are on Strongid C2X, daily dewormer and they are paste wormed twice a year, as per the Strongid Instructions. So, I do not believe that is the cause of the bot flies.

Now, I can not speak for the two surrounding horse farms that have numerous horses. I guess they hatch them and we have to remove the bot their flies lay on ours.

Our area of the country is high in bot Flies...perhaps being the lower midwest / south. Did not have bot issues out in Virginia.

I guess I will keep doing what I have been ... debotting the horses everyday until the stupid flies die off (Of which I have personally taken 2 out already).

[Supreme69]

Our horses are wormed regularly and they still get those little eggs on them. I just take the time to pick them off. I can't wait for the flies to die off.

Jana
Cres-Or-Lar Stable

[Equiluver]

I know just what you are saying! I spent over half my time at the barn yesterday picking the bot eggs off my three but I don't think I know how to use my bot knife right, I ended up using my fingernails instead lol. Any tips on using the knife? Oh, and getting the filly to stand still long enough to get all the eggs off her just wasn't happenin' so I hope to finish the job when I go out tonight. With that all said and done it left me about 1/2 hr to ride

[kmmed1]

Medium grade sandpaper is the easiest way to remove bot eggs, just gently sand the leg in the direction the hair is growing.

[War Admiral]

Sandpaper's an interesting idea, may try that.

Meanwhile, a plain old plastic shaving razor has always worked well for me.