How to Get Rid of Botfly Eggs (DIY)
The botfly lays its eggs on the inside of a horse’s front legs, below the knee and above the hoof. If not removed, the eggs are eventually ingested as the horse nuzzles its legs and can cause problems, even death, if the horse isn’t given a wormer that kills bots.There is a special comb made to remove the bot eggs, but combing is time-consuming. Instead, I put either baby oil or petroleum jelly on the eggs, which prevents them from hatching. I noticed a couple of years ago that when I put baby oil on the bot eggs there`would be no new eggs for a day or two.
Now during bot season, I put baby oil on my horses daily, from their knees to their hooves. I have found that the botfly will not lay its eggs in the oil. Only a few drops on each leg saves hours of extra grooming time needed to remove the eggs with a comb.
This DIY technique keeps botfly eggs away from horses.