This directly impacts the severity and number of incidences of strike in a particular area (normally seasonally from July to September). High temperatures will affect the microclimate of the sheep’s fleece and influence the hatching of any overwintered pupae on the ground from the previous year.Therefore, high levels of rainfall and humidity are important factors to consider when assessing risk in your flock. The foul odour associated with this will attract flies. When fleeces are wet, bacteria can cause the wool to degrade and sometimes the most superficial, or uppermost, layers of the skin will degrade with it this is known as “fleece rot”.Predisposing factors for strike in sheep revolve mainly around moisture and general fleece hygiene: Approximately 10% of sheep affected by blowfly strikes will die from their infestations. Secondary bacterial infections can occur in these open wounds, which can have fatal consequences. Affected sheep are generally irritated and distressed, often losing considerable weight as they are more preoccupied with itchiness and pain than with eating. This smell of decomposition attracts more flies to the area, which results in more eggs being laid and more larvae that need feeding, so the problem spirals out of control quite quickly. The larvae secrete (or spit out) an enzyme that degrades and liquefies the wool and skin of the sheep, causing smelly, wet, painful lesions at the feeding site. However, some strains of flies prefer their young to feed on live animals. Up to four generations of flies can exist between May to September because of their short and effective life cycle, so it’s easy to see how a ‘fly problem’ can quickly become a big one!īlowfly larvae, or ‘maggots’, are usually more commonly associated with death and decay. Once mature, they drop off the animal onto the ground to form a pupa, similar to a butterfly’s cocoon, that will hatch into an adult within 3-7 days or overwinter and hatch the following year, depending on environmental conditions. One protein meal can allow a single female fly to produce over 3000 eggs over her 30-day lifespan! These eggs will hatch within 12 hours of being laid and reach maturity within 10 days while feeding on their chosen host. The female flies, the most common perpetrators being bluebottle, greenbottle and blackbottle flies, feed on liquid protein or the nectar of certain plants before laying their eggs on open wounds, soiled fleeces or dead animals. Sheep are the most commonly affected animals by this phenomenon due to their thick fleeces, though it is also becoming a more widely recognized problem in pet rabbits. (* Disclaimer: maybe it’s best to read this article AFTER you’ve finished your breakfast! *)īlowfly strike, or ‘facultative myiasis’ as it is more formally known, involves female flies feeding on and laying eggs in the wounds and dirty coats of warm-blooded animals ‘blow’ refers to the deposition of eggs on the animal and ‘strike’ referring to the damage caused by the larvae that develop from these eggs. When they’re not landing in your food or keeping you awake at night with incessant buzzing and bumping into windows, it’s sometimes difficult to imagine these little winged creatures as having a personal agenda other than simply annoying the human race! However, the next time you’re running around protecting your pint or picnic, thank your lucky stars that you’ve got the arms to do so! Unfortunately, our poor sheep friends don’t have that luxury… Let’s face it very few people can say they’re excited when the warmer weather starts rolling in and the flies start appearing as if out of nowhere. Strike you’re out! Blowfly strike in sheep
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