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HomeTopicsHorse HealthInsect Pest Control
Controlling Flying Insects and PestsInsects and pests are the cause of a lot of irritation in horses. Insects tend to infest poorly nourished, unhealthy, or young horses. Some potential problems from insects attacking your horse include insect-borne diseases, blood loss, a rough coat, poor growth and reduced milk production in nursing mares. Pests such as mice and rats can spook a horse or carry disease.
Common Diseases Carried by InsectsMosquitoes are major carriers of a number of different viruses known to infect horses. Lice, mites, ticks and fleas are also common insect carriers. Eastern and Western encephalomyelitis (EEE and WEE) and equine infectious anemia (EIA) are two diseases spread by mosquitoes (but they're not spread between horses). Potomac horse fever (PHF), a less common disease, is spread through the bites of lice, mites, ticks and fleas.
Horse bots pose a problem to all horse species. Bots are bee-sized flies that "glue" their eggs to the hairs on the legs, mane and flanks of horses. As the horse grooms itself or another horse, it ingests the newly hatched bot fly larvae. The larvae migrate to the stomach where they remain for several months, causing gastrointestinal disorders. When they're finally passed in the feces, the maturing larvae burrow into the ground where they pupate and emerge several weeks later as flies. And the cycle continues.
How to Control Insects and PestsKeep insects, especially flies, to a minimum. Stable flies lay their eggs in many places such as manure, wet hay, uncut grassy areas or moist plant areas. Another problem with stable flies is that they plague horses in swarms. Stable flies bite at horses until they bleed, feeding on the blood. Rats and mice carry disease and destroy tack and feed.
Here are some basic for controlling insects and pests:
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