Throat bots and how to repel them?
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 3:53 pm
A couple of times a year, a period in spring and another in fall, our horses go absolutely nuts in the pasture. They'll typically stand somewhere in a tight group and every so often, one of them has a fit and starts frantically rubbing their throat /chin on another horses back or butt. Then they run like crazy across the pasture to another shade tree, and repeat the process.
Yesterday I tried riding my mare - which was a stupid idea - because her reaction to these little bot flies - which I think are throat bots - is more violent than the other horses'. She'll throw her head hard, shake it, and strike with her front feet at the fly. Riding her when she's doing that is dangerous, because at that point she has no regard for anything at all, she just wants that damn thing off!
I've seen the fly, it's a small bee looking thing, slightly smaller than a regular bot fly (to which they have basically no reaction), and they typically fly from behind them, up along their neck, and under their jowl. At this point, the horses go nuts.
So my question is - does anyone have experience with these damn things - and how to keep them off the horses? I rarely put fly spray on the horses, and I'm not sure the sprays work on bot flies?
Anyone?
Yesterday I tried riding my mare - which was a stupid idea - because her reaction to these little bot flies - which I think are throat bots - is more violent than the other horses'. She'll throw her head hard, shake it, and strike with her front feet at the fly. Riding her when she's doing that is dangerous, because at that point she has no regard for anything at all, she just wants that damn thing off!
I've seen the fly, it's a small bee looking thing, slightly smaller than a regular bot fly (to which they have basically no reaction), and they typically fly from behind them, up along their neck, and under their jowl. At this point, the horses go nuts.
So my question is - does anyone have experience with these damn things - and how to keep them off the horses? I rarely put fly spray on the horses, and I'm not sure the sprays work on bot flies?
Anyone?