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The main difference in the life-cycle of Nematodirus battus compared with other parasitic worms, is that development to infective larvae takes place within the egg and infection passes from one lamb crop to the next year’s crop. Cold weather delays hatching, so when we get a sudden change in temperature, as we have this year, it can trigger a mass hatch. If this coincides with the time when lambs are starting to take in significant amounts of grass (over about 6 weeks old), the result can be devastating.