warble fly (family Oestridae), also called cattle grub, bot fly, or heel fly, William E. Fergusonany member of a family of insects in the fly order, Diptera, sometimes classified in the family Hypodermatidae. The warble, or bot, flies Hypoderma lineatum and H. bovis are large, heavy, and beelike. The females deposit their eggs on the legs of cattle. The larvae penetrate the skin, migrate through the body for several months, and produce a characteristic lump, or warble, on the animal’s back. The warble contains a hole, which is used for breathing. When fully developed, the cattle grub emerges and drops to the ground to pupate and transform into an adult fly. The breathing holes cut by the larvae in the cowhide reduce its commercial value. Oedemagena tarandi is another warble fly that causes economic losses of leather, meat, and milk in reindeer herds.
The warble fly is widespread in Europe and North America. Control methods in cattle include the oral administration of insecticides and manual removal of the larvae from the animals’ backs.