In the summer months, you may start to notice small yellow spots on your horse's legs, neck, shoulder, or even around the mouth. These are called bot eggs. Don't be alarmed, there is an easy way to get rid of these eggs and prevent them from appearing on your horse.
How do bot eggs appear on the horse?
The Gasterophilus (also known as the bot fly) attach their eggs to your horse. They most commonly attach the eggs to your horse's legs. The female bot flies attach the eggs to your horse, and if you have more than one horse, most likely the female bot fly will lay eggs on multiple horses. The bot flies look like small wasps or bees that fly around your horse.
How the Bot Eggs Affect your Horse
Once the bot eggs are on your horse, they can start to irritate your horse. You horse may start to scratch them, and in the process of scratching them, they may relocate to your horse's mouth. If they relocate to your horse's mouth, they can hatch into small maggots, and hide themselves between the teeth, into the gums and lips. If this does occur, you need to be on the lookout for sores near and around the horse's mouth.
After the maggots make their way through the mouth of your horse, they migrate their way to the stomach. They can grow by attaching themselves to the stomach lining. They can spend up to 10 months in the stomach growing! They will eventually leave the stomach and pass into your horse's manure.
Photo by Anne Revell
How to Prevent Bot Eggs
One of the greatest ways you can prevent bot eggs from being on your horse is by removing manure from the pasture. Removing manure will help stop the life process of worms. There are also a few other ways you can protect your horse.
Applying a high-quality and effective fly spray often will help prevent bot flies from laying eggs on your horse. I have tried many different fly sprays, and the best one that has worked for my horse is Absorbine Ultrashield EX. More options for fly protection include fly masks, fly boots, and a fly sheet. I prefer the Deluxe Relaxed Fit Fly Boots by SmartPak. Also make sure that the tail is not braided, so your horse can easily swish the flies away!
The time of day your horse grazes also makes a big difference. Flies are out more in the daylight hours, so you may want to consider having your horse inside with a fan on during the day. You then can turn out your horse at night when the flies aren't out.
It is also important to deworm your horse regularly such as every 6 months- in the spring and fall. Ask your vet for advice on what dewormer is best to use for your horse.
How to Remove Bot Eggs
Before starting the process to remove bot eggs, make sure to not have your horse in the pasture. You don't want the bot eggs falling to the ground where your horse could eventually ingest them.
The easiest and most convenient way to remove the eggs is by using a bot knife. You can find this tool at your local farm store (I found mine at Tractor Supply). You can also use a grooming block if you don't have a bot egg knife. If you don't have either of these tools, you can try using warm water to remove the eggs.
Bot eggs can be a nussiance, but by grooming your horse each day and applying fly spray, you can prevent bot eggs from appearing on your horse.
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