BOT FLIES IN HORSES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1545, 14 September 1912, Page 8

BOT FLIES IN HORSES.

A VETEEINAEy SURGEON'S VIEWS,

A veterinary surgeon, writing to the Mark Lane Express" in reference to the bot-fly trouble, remarks that preventing egg" ; laying- while the horse is at gross in the summer is by no means an easy matter, because all fly deterrents are nasty, and evanescent in their notion. Odorous or nauseous substances recommended .as preventive measures a»ainst tho action of the diptera soon lose their effect, and require to be constantly renewed. Perhaps the best plan of avoiding the attention of the fly js to closely clij) away all the long ' hairs from under fthe iaws, and around the knees, arms, elbows, and 6h.oulders, keep' the horse frequently and attentively groomed, and wipe the parts over every day with. a paraffin oil rag. This need not be generally applied, but localised on the regions of the body which are most, exposed -.to attack. Singeing is the best way to keep down the long hairs, on which the fly deposits its eggs,' which are retained, by means of a viscid matter that is deposited with them. Any eggs deposited on' parts of the horse within easy reach of his tongue should be promptly destroyed by singeing. The hundreds of little white bodies seen on horses running at grass throughout the suinnier are mostly empty shells, and promptitude is essential to preventing the larvao reaching, the stomach. The eggs are hatched in a few days, and tho larvae are introduced into the digestivo apparatus by the horse licking the part where the larvae, crawling on the skin, cause a slight itching. Egglaying and "bot" infestation of horses running out in summer cannot be prevented without a good deal of trouble. Sponging with a decoction of walnut leaves, or a maceration of them in vinegar, is said to be a fly deterrent; but we know of nothing better than keeping the hair short about-the parts selected by the fly for depositing its ova, and an occasional wipe with a paraffin rag. \