As it warms up, the bugs get active!!!
It was a long, hard, cold winter and now it is time to get
outside and enjoy the weather with your horses. Unfortunately, with the spring
time, bugs get active and irritate you along with your horse that is continuously
outside.
Signs
of damage usually show up as weakness, emaciation, anemia, rough hair coat,
stunted growth, tail and mane rubbing, lesions and disease transmission.
Extreme populations or transmission of disease may lead to death of the host. Here are a few examples:
Horse bots are bot fly larvae and are internal parasites
of horses. The horse bot larvae develop in the stomach of horses causing
symptoms ranging from stomach ulcers, and esophageal paralysis to occlusion of
the digestive tract. The adult bot fly is a bee-like fly about 1/2
to 3/4 inch in length. Bot flies are covered with black and yellow hairs and do
not feed as adults. In Florida two species of adult bot flies may be active
throughout the year, although they are more abundant from late spring to early
winter.
Horse flies and deer flies are insects that are usually daytime feeders and are
vicious biters and strong fliers. As with mosquitoes only the females bite.
Their attacks often account for lowered weight gains and reduction in
condition.
Because of their painful
bites and frequent attacks, horse flies produce frenzied behavior in their
hosts, sometimes causing them to run long distances in an effort to escape.
Horse flies introduce an anticoagulant into the bite wound which causes blood to
ooze for up to eight hours. These wounds are excellent sites for secondary
invasion of screwworm and also cause much blood loss. Being intermittent
feeders, they are known mechanical transmitters of diseases such as anthrax,
tularemia, anaplasmosis, and equine infectious anemia (EIA).
The stable fly,
is similar to the house fly in size and color, but the bayonet-like mouthparts
of the stable fly differentiate it from the house fly. Unlike the flies already
discussed, both sexes of the stable fly are vicious biters. They are strong
fliers and range many miles from the breeding sites.
Stable flies cause
irritation and weakness in animals and account for much blood loss in severe
cases. Bite wounds also can serve as sites for secondary infection and scar
tissue formation. These flies are easily interrupted in feeding and are
mechanical transmitters of anthrax, equine infectious anemia (swamp fever),
anaplasmosis, and Habronema stomach worms.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are small, two-winged flies with piercing sucking mouthparts. Females of most
species suck blood, males do not. Mosquitoes attack all kinds of warm-blooded
animals, domestic and wild. Florida has many species recorded as economic pests
on livestock.
Although habits of
different species vary greatly, all require water for the larval stage. Female
mosquitoes lay their eggs on water or in places that later become flooded. Egg
hatch varies with the species. Larvae (wigglers) hatch from the eggs and feed on
organic matter in the water. Pupation takes place in the water. The adult
mosquito emerges and is ready to feed in a short time.
Damage caused by
mosquitoes include pain from the bites, unthriftiness, death by suffocation and
heavy blood loss. Mosquitoes also vector such diseases as encephalomyelitis
(WNV, WEE, EEE, VEE) and are suspect for many of the mechanically transmitted
diseases.
If mosquitoes are a
serious problem to horses, control measures should be implemented. The most
effective control method available is source reduction by removing or draining
mosquito breeding sites, through the activity of mosquito control districts.
Daily fogging or aerosoling for adult mosquitoes may provide relief but is only
a temporary control measure.
1.
Before using any
pesticide, stop and read the precautions.
2.
Read the label on each
pesticide container before each use. Heed all warnings and precautions.
3.
Store all pesticides in
their original containers away from food or feed.
4.
Keep pesticides out of
the reach of children, pets and livestock.
5.
Apply pesticides only as
directed.
6.
Dispose of empty
containers promptly and safely.
Recommendations in this
document are guidelines only. The user must insure that the pesticide is
applied in strict compliance with label directions. The Food and Drug
Administration has established residue tolerances for certain insecticides in
the meat of certain animals. When these and other approved insecticides are
applied according to recommendations, the pests should be effectively
controlled and the animals' products will be safe for consumption.
The improper use of
insecticides may result in residue in meat. Such products must not be delivered
to processing plants.
To avoid excessive
residues, use the insecticides recommended at the time recommended and in the
amounts recommended.References are from the University of Florida, Publication #ENY-283
I was just about to post a question asking how I could put a hay bag on a timer. I've got a horse with ulcers who would greatly benefit from alfalfa every 6 hours (along with free choice timothy),horse feeders and I've been trying to figure out how I could rig something up
ReplyDeleteAn easy no cost slow feed for grain or similar sized feed
ReplyDeleteis to place several smooth grapefruit sized rocks in their horse feeders. Slows them down and keeps them busy for a while….