What’s the buzz about bots?

It reminds you of the bumblebee waltz, but this is not a waltz and this is not a bumblebee.

One of the signs of summer is the arrival of one of nature’s great imposters. His appearance marks the beginning of a new season, the time of Bot Fly. Resembling large brown bumblebees, Bot Flies herald the beginning of your horse’s summer torture.

These large flies flutter and buzz around cattle as they prepare to lay their eggs and begin a new cycle for the fly. Horses in particular are a favorite and the flies aggressively lay several hundred eggs along the leg and chest hairs of the horse’s coat. The buzzing heralds the approach of the fly and subsequent contact of the fly with the horse’s skin, often driving horses mad. Jumping, jerking and running to evade these buzzing invaders is often fruitless as the flies will persist until they can lay their eggs.

To spread, flies need their eggs to be ingested by the animal, and sometimes human, host where they grow and develop. Safely contained in the host’s stomach, the eggs adhere to the stomach wall and remain for 10 months. Here they are fed by the host and nurtured until they hatch into larvae which pass through the intestinal tract through the manure.

The resulting infested dung provides the next stage in the Bot Fly’s life cycle and the larvae now pupate. This stage takes about two months to complete, and like a butterfly, Bot Fly emerges to complete the next step in the long life cycle.

The adult fly, which resembles a furry brown bumblebee, flies off in search of a suitable host for the next generation…once mating is complete and the eggs are ugly, the fly dies and the cycle is complete.

It’s amazing how life evolves to perpetuate itself, but doing so can harm the host. Damage is usually minimal and more studies are needed to effectively assess long-term effects, but mild damage to the stomach wall does occur. Necropsies reveal a pitted area in the stomach wall where the Bot eggs attached. The stomach usually heals on its own, but in severe infestations it can cause colic, stomach ulcers, and even death if the stomach ruptures. Infested horses often look unwell as the feeding insects drain nutrients and blood from the horses system. The horse’s immune system is weaker when infested and has greater difficulties with disease and winter hardiness.

So how do you prevent the bot fly from infesting your horse? It can only be done by breaking the loop.

In the past, horsemen and women used toxic deworming agents to kill the eggs from the stomach and special combs or knives to scrape the eggs from the horses’ bodies.

Now a more ecological and respectful product with the earth (and the animals) is used. Diatomaceous earth is an easier, all-natural way to break the Bot Fly cycle. Diatomaceous Earth, often called DE, is bad for Bots but good for Horses. Feeding your horse DE daily will kill the eggs, larvae, and pupae in the resulting manure and will also improve your horse’s health.

Diatomaceous earth is the skeletal remains of a microscopic creature. These creatures, called diatoms, were tiny algae from millions of years ago and left large skeletal deposits on ancient sea floors. Today it is mined and used in many ways for a greener world.

DE works on Bot Flies in several ways. It first kills the eggs and larvae in the stomach by dehydration and then removes them from the system. Once passed, the DE will kill any pupae that hatch in the manure and also the eggs and larvae of any other flies. Using DE will reduce the Bot Fly population in addition to the common housefly and deer populations.

ED then supplies additional minerals to the horse’s system. DE is itself a mineral (silicon dioxide for bone and hair growth), but it also includes 13 other minerals, all of which are essential for overall good health. Trace minerals are calcium, magnesium, titanium dioxide, gallium, vanadium, strontium, sodium, boron, iron, potassium, manganese, copper, and zirconium. This supply of minerals stimulates the horse’s immune system and promotes good health in general.

DE also cleans the system. Dead eggs and larvae are removed from the horse’s digestive system with DE, and in addition, it also purges any sand or other debris not removed. DE will also kill other internal parasites and worms and remove them as well. A horse with clean intestines is a healthy and happy horse.

Horses should be fed ½ cup to 1 cup of DE daily. This will depend on the size of the horse, but adjust accordingly. A good rule of thumb is to feed 2% DE per body weight of the animal. Always start with a little and work up to the maximum. This prevents a large die-off of parasites that could cause distress to the animal. Start gently and over 7-10 days gradually increase to full amount.

A WORD OF CAUTIONnot all DEs are the same. Food Grade DE is the ONLY safe to use with animals. Commercial or “pool” grade DE is indeed dangerous for use with people or livestock. USE ONLY FOOD GRADE DIATOMACEOUS EARTH.

DE can be fed during fly and parasite season or can be fed year-round. It is gentle on the horse’s system and the mineral benefits make it a stable staple. Once you start using DE, you’ll never miss this particular bumblebee impostor or his waltz again…in fact, the silence that diatomaceous earth creates may be the only music you want to hear.