13/01/2026
My favourite farm helpers πͺ². Meet Onitis viridulus , or the emerald dungbeetle. These guys break down and bury horsepoo like teenagers eat burgers or sushi post surfing. They take nutrients into the soil, and the holes they create mean the rain gets below the surface. It's a big part of the reason we include 2 x faecal egg counts per year when your horse lives at Okey Dokey Farm. Worming unnecessarily (i.e., when count is low or nil) wipes these guys out and builds parasite resistance. If/When we do need to worm, we yard horses and collect manure in an attempt to safeguard our unpaid paddock clean-up crew. If you want some, you can purchase them . Our population has been knocked around after so many wet years ..I may need a top-up π.