tree squirrel bot fly

insect

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Last updated

July 21, 2026

Quick Summary

The tree squirrel bot fly, Cuterebra emasculator, is a type of bot fly (family Oestridae) that parasitizes squirrels. Adult bot flies resemble hairy, beelike flies but lack bristles, and their larvae are parasitic on mammals.1

Specifically, the tree squirrel bot fly attacks the scrotum of squirrels, and in some cases, can lead to emasculation. Bot flies, like other flies, have a life cycle consisting of four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The larvae of the tree squirrel bot fly develop within the host, obtaining nourishment from it.12

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bot fly
…which infects rabbits, and the tree squirrel bot fly (C. emasculator), which attacks the scrotum of squirrels, sometimes emasculating them. The human bot fly (Dermatobia hominis) attacks livestock, deer, and humans. The female attaches her eggs to mosquitoes, stable flies, and other insects that carry the eggs to the actual…
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…which infects rabbits, and the tree squirrel bot fly (C. emasculator), which attacks the scrotum of squirrels, sometimes emasculating them. The human bot fly (Dermatobia hominis) attacks livestock, deer, and humans. The female attaches her eggs to mosquitoes, stable flies, and other insects that carry the eggs to the actual…
Read More