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Getting rid of bots?

4K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  boots 
#1 ·
About 3 days ago i went to the stables and saw a few bots on the inside of my mare's knee. Took them off by pinching with my nails, but when i came to the stables today, she had LOADS of bots EVERYWHERE. On her knee insides, on her fetlocks, a few in the mane and even on her soulderblade area.
Can't get them off with any of my brushes and it reaaaaly pisses me off.
Any suggestions on how to remove them? And what causes them?

Thanks in advance, worried rider :gallop:
 
#4 ·
Yes, there are bot knives or bot blocks available. Bot blocks are available at any tack shop and TSC should carry them.

Bot knives might be at the tack stores or TSC but I have to order them thru Valley Vet.

Tip for getting the eggs off easier, is to put warm water on them and immediately scrape them off. Warm water tricks the eggs into thinking the horse is licking them, so they loosen themselves from the hair. That's why they don't come off in the cold rain:)

As a last resort, if I've missed any in a really difficult place, I don't show so I will take a dollar pair of children's scissors and cut the hair off:)

Bot flies do not land on the horse --- they hover and shoot the eggs thru their tails, onto the horse:(

There is also a throat bot fly which is different. It will lay eggs deep in the hairs of the throat and jowel area. These eggs have the ability to self migrate into the mouth:(. I often have to pull that hair backward to find them.

It's almost impossible to get throat bot eggs off the horse. The best removal method I Have found for throat bots is to smother them in any kind of ointment that isn't harmful to the horse. It can be an antibiotic ointment, hemorrhoid ointment, etc. I use ointments as they are not as messy as creams.

Once the eggs are smothered to death, they can generally be pulled off with your fingernails -----:(

Where I live, it seems like the bot flies have on and off days where they go looking for a horse. THIS day I might not see any eggs and three days later I may find a spray of several hundred on them --- and not always both horses, not always the same horse -----

The sooner you get the eggs off your horse the better. Whatever that self-sticking "glue" is that attaches the eggs to the hair makes the horse itch, then the horse starts licking and biting, which then removes the eggs into their mouths.

Best time to de-worm for bots is right after the first hard frost. We didn't have a hard frost last year so I de-wormed in mid -December for bots. Whatever paste you buy, be sure the list of worms includes bots:)
 
#5 ·
oh god oh god oh god now I wanna die!
Yesterday, I removed most of the bots but still left some and saw her itching in the paddock! I didn't think that it was a bad thing at the time, but now I'm really worried :(. I can only drive to the stables on friday!
 
#6 ·
Lollol, don't have too big of a panic attack, although that's like the pot telling the kettle not to boil over, lollol

I've been removing eggs off horses for more than 50 years and still say -------- we'll never mind ------ at this juncture of my life, I can't repeat what I say but they still get my hackles up, lollol

Worse yet, bots don't show up in a fecal exam.

The best you can do is be as diligent about removing the eggs as your life routine will allow, de-worm after the first hard frost. If you can't be at the barn in a 24-72 hour period after de-worming, hopefully someone else will be willing to take a small stick, pick thru the manure and take a couple pictures for you to examine:)

If your horse has more than one or two bot eggs in his manure, I would de-worm again in 4-6 weeks, or if you're unsure check with your vet:)

BTW, if you've never seen bots in the manure, Google "bot egg pictures" but don't do it while you're eating:grin:
 
#7 ·
Those are the most annoying darn things... had a few around our horses last year and it brought me great satisfaction to finally dismount, pull off my ball cap, and whack them when they landed on Leroy's legs.

WORMING PARTY FOR EVERYONE! Soon as the first freeze hit, we were worming ALL TEH HORSES!


I HAVE READ: that a single blade, cheap disposable razor, works wonders for shaving them off. But I've not tried it yet.
 
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#8 ·
I won't use a single blade razor because I don't trust my arthritic hands to stay steady, same with the razor, lollol

They would work well for someone with solid hands that don't shake or cramp up:)

Since moving to southern Middle Tennessee, I now see bot flies as early as April. Then they disappear for awhile. I will regret saying I haven't seen any bot flies since early July ------------------ it's only a matter of time until they show their ugly "tail feathers" again------------
 
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#13 ·
It's really worth it to have one of these in your grooming kit. This one is only $2.99 at Chick's and I can assure you that they work. They take the egg right off without shaving off any hair. They won't cut the horse either, and glide right over the hair. (Google: bot knife)

Be sure to move the horse away from areas where hay/feed is kept or where they eat. You don't want to go through all that work and have them ingest the eggs anyway!
 

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#15 ·
I remove them with a particular pocket knife that I have. But it is rather pointless.

Smart little creatures, those bot flies. Not too long after the eggs are laid, the larvae emerges causing the tickling that makes the horse rub with their muzzle. And then the larvae are in the horse to further mature, get passed in the feces and eventually fly away to do what bot flies do again.

I agree with worming after a hard frost. I also keep the paddocks clean to reduce hospitality to all flies.
 
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