Horse Gestation

Bot larvae detach from the horse's stomach lining due to the maturing larvae stages. Once the larvae travel to the stomach and intestine, they remain attached there with no change in position during the second and third instar larvae stage until the following summer. When fully mature, the third stage larvae detach from the stomach or intestine and are passed in the feces. When they reach the soil, the larvae burrow under the surface of the soil, pupate, and remain there for one to two months. The adult fly emerges in late summer or fall. Only one generation is completed per year. The horse does not have any control over what time the bots leave the stomach, and it is not dependent on what the horse eats. For more information, go to stomach bots in horses.

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