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Question about blow-flies
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Posted by elly_nj (My Page) on Thu, Jun 4, 09 at 20:47
| Hi,
I have a question.
When you check for blow-flies, do you ever check the chicks' ears? I ask because when I was in avian rehab, in the summer we always looked in chicks' ears for larvae, because the flies lay eggs in orifices. I would pull out larvae larger than rice kernals out of tiny ears with regularity/
If not, where do you look for maggots?
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Question about blow-flies
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Elly, I've never seen blowflies or their larvae in a nesting, luckily. I give the nestlings a quick once-over, checking under wings and such, then check for infestation by lifting the nest and poking around for pupae. I wonder if their hearing is damaged at all when the larvae infest their ears.
Kathy |
RE: Question about blow-flies
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| I have never been able to see any larvae on the babies, I am to afraid to move the babies and will just gently lift a wing of who ever is close. I know these last babies had them I found 20 -30 under the nest. Elly, WHERE IS THEIR EAR? LOL Im pretty sure I should not be poking around babies when I dont even know what their ear looks like. I do have baby TRES right now that have lost a parent. I know they are prone to blowfly. I am wondering if I should remove them one by one and look closley, they are 8 days old. Cold weather is not helping, keeping the flying bugs sparse. 1 parent, not many flying bugs and blowfly could be a very un happy ending. I trust your judgemnt what do ya think I should do? |
RE: Question about blow-flies
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| Hi, No, I don't think you should look in the ears. I was just curious where you find the maggots. I did not know they lay eggs off the babies, is all. The ears are big slits on the sides of the head, level with the eyes and beak. Thanks! Great jobs, what you do for the birds! |
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