Botfly Facts and Tips for Removal

Botfly Facts and Tips for Removal The botfly is a type of parasitic fly, best-known for disturbing images of its larval stage in skin and horror stories of infested people. The botfly is any fly from the family Oestridae. The flies are obligate internal mammalian parasites, which means they cant complete their life cycle unless the larvae have a suitable host. The only species of botfly that parasitizes humans is Dermatobia hominis. Like many species of botfly, Dermatobia grows within the skin. However, there are other species that grow within the hosts gut. Fast Facts: Botfly Common Name: Botfly or Bot FlyScientific Name: Family OestridaeAlso Known As: Warble flies, gadflies, heel fliesDistinguishing Features: Hairy fly with a metallic bot appearance. Infestation is characterized by an irritated bump, with a hole in the center for the larval breathing tube. Movement may sometimes be felt within the lump.Size: 12 to 19 mm (Dermatobia hominis)Diet: Larvae require mammalian flesh. Adults do not eat.Lifespan: 20 to 60 days after hatching (Dermatobia hominis)Habitat: The human bot fly lives primarily in Central and South America. Other botfly species are found worldwide.Conservation Status: Not evaluatedKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ArthropodaClass: InsectaOrder: DipteraFamily: OestroidaeFun Fact: Botfly larvae are edible and are said to taste like milk. How to Recognize a Botfly With its hairy, striped body, you could say a botfly looks like a cross between a bumblebee and a house fly. Othersv liken a botfly to a living bot or miniature flying robot, because the reflective hairs give the fly a metallic appearance. The human botfly, Dermatobia, has yellow and black bands, but other species have different coloration. The human botfly is about 12-19 mm in length, with hair and spines on its body. The adult lacks biting mouthparts and does not feed. In some species, botfly eggs are easily identified. For example, equine botflies lay eggs that resemble tiny drops of yellow paint on the horses coat. The fly is best known for its larval stage or maggot. Larvae that infest skin grow under the surface, but leave a small opening through which the maggot breathes. The larvae irritate skin, producing a swelling or warble. Dermatobia larvae have spines, which worsen the irritation. Bot fly larvae cause a lump with an open center, through which the breathing tube may be visible. Petruss Where Do Botflies Live? The human botfly lives in Mexico, Central America, and South America. People who live in other areas generally get infected while traveling. Other species of botfly are found across the globe, primarily (but not exclusively) in warm tropical and subtropical regions. These species infest pets, livestock, and wild animals. The Botfly Life Cycle Cuterebra sp. botfly larva extracted from the neck of a dead rabbit. Katja Schulz The bot fly life cycle always involves a mammalian host. Adult flies mate and then the female deposits up to 300 eggs. She may lay eggs directly on the host, but some animals are wary of botflies, so the flies have evolved to use intermediate vectors, including mosquitoes, houseflies, and ticks. If an intermediate is used, the female grasps it, rotates it, and attaches her eggs (under the wings, for flies and mosquitoes). When the botfly or its vector lands on a warm-blooded host, the increased temperature stimulates the eggs to drop onto the skin and burrow into it. The eggs hatch into larvae, which extend a breathing tube up through the skin to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. The larvae (instars) grow and molt, finally dropping from the host into the soil to form pupae and molt into adult flies. Some species do not develop in skin, but are ingested and burrow into the hosts intestine. This happens in animals that lick themselves or rub their nose on body parts. After several months to a year, the larvae pass through the feces to complete its maturation process. In most cases, bot flies do not kill their host. However, sometimes the irritation caused by the larvae leads to skin ulceration, which can result in infection and death. How to Remove Botfly Larvae Botfly larvae Hypoderma diana under a deers skin. Avalon_Studio / Getty Images Infestation with larval flies is termed myiasis. While its a characteristic of the botfly life cycle, it actually occurs with other types of flies, too. There are several methods used to remove fly larvae. The preferred method is to apply a topical anesthetic, slightly enlarge the opening for the mouthparts, and use forceps to remove the larvae. Other methods include: Using a venom extractor syringe from a first aid kit to suck the larvae from the skin.Oral dosing with the antiparasitic avermectin, which leads to spontaneous emergence of the larvae.Flooding the opening with iodine, which causes the fly to poke out of the hole, facilitating its removal.Applying the sap of the matatorsalo tree (found in Costa Rica), which kills the larvae, but does not remove it.Sealing the breathing hole with petroleum jelly, white glue mixed with insecticide, or nail polish, which suffocates the larvae. The hole is enlarged and the carcass is removed with forceps or tweezers.Applying adhesive tape to the breathing hole, which sticks to the mouthparts and pulls out the larvae when the tape is removed.Forcefully squeezing the warble from the base to push the larvae through the opening. Killing the larvae before removal, squeezing them out, or pulling them out with tape is not recommended because rupturing the larvae body can cause anaphylactic shock, make removal of the entire body more difficult, and increase chance of infection. How to Avoid a Botfly Infestation The easiest way to avoid getting infested with botflies is to avoid where they live. Since that isnt always practical, the next best tactic is to apply insect repellent to deter flies, as well as mosquitoes, wasps, and ticks that can carry fly eggs. Wearing a hat and clothing with long sleeves and pants helps to minimize exposed skin. Sources Felt, E.P. (1918). Caribou Warble Grubs Edible. Journal of Economic Entomology. 11: 482.Human Bot Fly Myiasis (2010). U.S. Army Public Health Command (provisional), formerly U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine.Mullen, Gary; Durden, Lance, eds. (2009). Medical and Veterinary Entomology. Amsterdam, NL: Academic. ISBN 978-0-12-372500-4.Pape, Thomas (April 2001). Phylogeny of Oestridae (Insecta: Diptera). Systematic Entomology. 26 (2): 133–171. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3113.2001.00143.xPiper, Ross (2007). Human Botfly. Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 192–194. ISBN 0-313-33922-8.

Is an elite liberal arts college worth the price tag

Is an elite liberal arts college worth the price tag Last week I visited with the head guidance counselor at a well-regarded private high school in Madison. Amongst our topics of conversation was the trend he has noticed away from private colleges. Students were being accepted to Ivy League and other top colleges, then choosing not to attend, in favor of larger state schools. As you might imagine, the main reason for their decision was financial. These families are already paying $10,000/year to send their child to high school. Their coffers are strained if not empty. Yet, perhaps there are hidden factors that, if revealed, would sway these parents and students to choose a private college. A March 2012 article by P. Maloney, â€Å"Does it Pay to Attend an Elite Liberal Arts College?† explored the benefits of an elite liberal arts education. In this article, Maloney asks an important question: Is it worth the $50,000 price tag to send your child to one of these elite schools? I have asked a similar question in two previous articles, Is it Worth it to Compete for an Ivy League Education? and Employers Favor State Schools for Hires – But Ivy League is Still the Best Pick; in both instances, I concluded rather unscientifically that it was worth the cost to attend an elite school. Maloney’s more rigorous study supports my conclusions. He evaluated many major studies (a.k.a. the â€Å"literature†) on the subject, performed his own multi-faceted statistical analysis, and concluded that although attending an elite liberal arts college might not lead to higher earnings directly out of college, a statistically significant difference arises by the middle of a person’s career. Maloney points out that this finding is similar to that of Brand and Halaby (2006), another major study which found that the effects of attending an elite college on a person’s wages increased over time. Maloney admits that his study is limited in that â€Å"the number of individuals in the [study group] that attended an elite liberal arts college is rather small compared to the number that attended other types of schools. This may limit the scope to which these results can be extended.† More research is clearly needed. However, the results are indicative of a trend toward higher career earnings that could influence families’ decisions about where to send their children to college. If your child were accepted to both an elite private liberal arts college and a state school, how would you make your decision? What factors would you consider? If you knew that your child’s earnings potential would ultimately be significantly higher from attending an elite liberal arts college, would you still choose a state school or other less expensive option? If you have faced this type of choice or think you might face it in the future, I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments! Want essay writing help for your student to get into an elite college? Contact The Essay Expert for a 15-minute consultation. We will make that essay shine! Category:College AdmissionsBy Brenda BernsteinSeptember 10, 2012 4 Comments Christopher Feyrer says: September 11, 2012 at 12:19 am I would not choose whether my child went to the liberal arts college. He or she would. Given that, from a social networking perspective, Im sure that Ivy League connections would lead to hire eventual wages simply because of the higher least common denominator among the attendees and alumni. The biggest barrier for a layman like myself would be pure economics and barrier to entry. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: September 11, 2012 at 12:35 am I believe that most parents would ideally like for their child to decide. With such large economic considerations, however, sometimes the parents do need to make an economic choice. And you have a lot of company in economics being the greatest barrier. Log in to Reply Christopher Feyrer says: September 11, 2012 at 12:20 am I meant higher eventual wages above. Thats what I get for dictating my post! Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: September 17, 2012 at 11:26 pm I received the following response to this article from one of my readers, who wished to remain anonymous. I think her comments add a great perspective: Thanks for another insightful article. Our daughter was accepted into the Honors program of our state school, but we are sending her to the University of Pennsylvania for several reasons: 1) We wanted her to interact with people from all over the world to expand her worldview and test her assumptions. She can do that better at Penn. In fact, we think that helped her conceptualize spending a semester abroad, which she is doing now. 2) We wanted to surround her with the brightest and most-motivated peers. Clearly, there are very bright and very motivated students at state schools, but many go for the price vs. the educational opportunity. 3) Sometimes, students cannot complete their education at state schools in four years because they cannot get into the classes they need. Not only does this diminish the price differential, but it presents an opportunity cost, since the student cannot enter the job market as soon. 4) How much money she makes after graduation should not be the sole criterion of success. I know from my own Ivy League education that I was forced to think analytically, write clearly, and test and retest my values. At a less intellectually rich institution, I might have had the impetus and support to hone my skills. Log in to Reply