flammation, which interferes with 

 digestion. 



Bots attached to the lower part of 

 the stomach interfere with the pas- 

 sage of food. Infested animals often 

 suffer from colic or other gastric 

 disturbances. 



The degree of damage done by the 

 feeding of the larvae is roughly in 

 proportion to the number present. 

 Several hundred larvae may be 

 found in one animal ; more than 

 1,000 have been found in the 

 stomach of a colt. 



CONTROL 



Bots control in horses should con- 

 sist of procedures for prevention of 

 infection, as well as treatment of in- 

 fections with effective drugs. 



Preventing Infection 



Infections of bots can be pre- 

 vented significantly by carrying out 

 both the following simple proce- 

 dures during the fly season : 



• Remove bot fly eggs from hairs 

 by clipping. 



• Apply warm water rinses (at 

 120° F.) to induce hatching of the 

 eggs and the subsequent death of the 

 young fly larvae. 



Drug Treatment 



The available drugs that will re- 

 move a high percentage of bots from 

 the digestive tract are carbon disul- 

 fide, piperazinecarbodithioic acid 

 (piperazine and carbon disulfide), 

 trichlorfon, and dichlorvos. 



J» % * 



&mm #* 



*vW 







Part of a horse's stomach heavily infested with bots. Note the lesions that these 



bots have caused. 



