The Tree Squirrel Bot Fly
Welcome to our tree squirrel
bot fly home page! We are attempting here to provide accurate, up-to-date
information about this insect (Cuterebra emasculator Fitch) and
its relationship with the squirrels it parasitizes, based on published
scientific studies, unpublished information provided to us by wildlife
rehabilitators, veterinarians and others, and our own unpublished observations
and data, resulting from the collaboration of an entomologist (a scientist
who studies insects) and a wildlife rehabilitator (a biologist who cares
for injured and orphaned animals) spanning almost 20 years of experience
with tree squirrels and their bot fly parasites in northcentral Florida
(About the authors).
Below we list links to
a variety of topics pertaining to the tree squirrel bot fly and other flies
that also parasitize mammals (including humans). Although several of the
linked pages are not yet available, we feel that there is enough useful
information to make it worthwhile to post this site in its present form.
We hope to complete more of these pages in the near future, although some of these topics are longer-term projects.
If you observe squirrels
in the summer with 'lumps' or 'tumors' and are concerned that this might
be a disease that could spread to uninfested squirrels, pets or people,
or if you are wondering if there is anything you can do to help the infested
squirrels and to prevent other squirrels from getting infested, see overview
of 'lumpy' squirrels. The taxonomy, distribution,
life cycle & behavior [link not yet available] of the tree
squirrel bot fly are described, with links to more in-depth descriptions
of its life cycle stages: the adults
& eggs [link not yet available], larvae
[link not yet available] and pupae
[link not yet available] as well as the warbles
or lumps in the host animal's skin produced by the larvae (which are also
called 'bots', hence the name 'bot flies'). Although bot fly infestation
typically is not contagious, there is another 'lump-causing' affliction,
squirrel
fibromatosis (also called squirrel fibroma or squirrelpox), a viral
disease that can be spread from infected to uninfected squirrels. Infestation of host animals [link not
yet available] by these parasites is described, including the species,
sex, age and location on the host's body and the effects
of bot fly infestation on the host animal [link not yet available].
Related to the latter topic is the story of how this insect got its name
(What's in a name:
Cuterebra emasculator, the
'emasculating' bot fly) [link not yet available].
A substantial amount of
information is available on the biology of the tree squirrel bot fly, but
much remains to be learned (see Unanswered
questions about the tree squirrel bot fly). When biological details
for this species are lacking, if possible we provide information for different
species of bot flies (those that attack other species of rodents [mice,
rats, voles, pocket gophers, etc.] or lagomorphs [rabbits and hares]) in
order to offer a general overview for the biology of these insects. However,
we caution that as more information becomes available, each species of
bot fly will undoubtedly be found to differ from the others in certain
aspects of its life history, associated with differences in habitat, seasonal
occurence, host species attacked, etc. As just one example of such differences,
it is known that the peak flight activity of some bot fly species occurs
in the late morning/early afternoon whereas the adults of a different species
are most active during late afternoon/early evening (see adults
& eggs [link not yet available]).
References to published
literature are linked to an annotated list of citations (Bot
fly literature [link not yet available]). To assist persons
with little or no entomological (= insect-associated) expertise, specialized
terminology is defined in a bot fly-associated
glossary[link not yet available].
For veterinarians and wildlife
rehabilitators who may encounter injured or orphaned animals infested with
bot fly larvae, information is provided on the non-surgical
removal of larvae from squirrels [link not yet available]. Using forceps to extract bot fly
larvae through the natural opening in the warble (the warble pore) without
surgically cutting the warble and without anesthesizing the animal, reduces
post-operative stress and the risks of both anesthesia and secondary infection.
Most species of bot flies
usually attack wild animals but atypical infestations of domestic
animals & pets [link not yet available] and humans
[link not yet available] can occur. Also provided is a description
of the one bot fly species that typically does infest people, the
'human bot fly', Dermatobia hominis [link not yet available].
This species does not occur in the United States; it is found in southern
Mexico and several other Latin American countries. We also list links to other internet websites that address bot flies, related flies, other insects, other arthropods, wildlife and wildlife rehabilitation.
Information and images on this website that are the property of the authors can be used by others for non-commercial, educational purposes without obtaining our permission, as long as credit is given to the authors upon use of this material. Requests for commercial uses should be directed to the authors.
Finally, to help in our goal of providing accurate and
up-to-date information, we request that you contact
us with corrections, additions and other comments and questions about
the material presented here.
Links to information (and many pictures) about bot flies:
Especially for veterinarians and wildlife
rehabilitators:
Bot fly encounters with domestic animals
& humans:
Other internet links:
Frank Slansky & Lou Rea Kenyon // fslansky@ufl.edu
Version 1.2 (August 20, 2001)
