Biting flies

[WinnisquamZ]

The last two days it has been terrible. Biting flys are terrible. Anyone else experiencing them?


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[SAB1]

Yes they incredibly annoying. They seem to land and bite almost instantly. I first ran into them fishing Lake Ontario many years ago. I think they followed me back lol.

[thinkxingu]

Are you referring to standard horseflies and greenheads or those triangle bugs that seem to be getting worse over the years?

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[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

Are you referring to standard horseflies and greenheads or those triangle bugs that seem to be getting worse over the years?

No. This one. Please exercise extreme caution.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by SailinAway

No. This one. Please exercise extreme caution.

Attachment 17682

Hahaha! Those things STING!

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[sunfishman]

Here is a picture of a biting fly that I killed recently at the beach. They are quite quick, and you have to be willing to let it start to bite you in order for you to nail it. Insectologists,? please zoom in and tell us what it is. They have been plentiful this year.

[Chickie]

I think those are deer flies.

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by sunfishman

Here is a picture of a biting fly that I killed recently at the beach. They are quite quick, and you have to be willing to let it start to bite you in order for you to nail it. Insectologists,? please zoom in and tell us what it is. They have been plentiful this year.

Not sure what they are. They look like a common house fly, are equipped with an afterburner to evade the fastest swat, and can take a chunk of meat with one bite. We used to see them out on the boat, whether in a cove like Robert's Cove or drifting in the Broads.

Bottom line, regardless of their actual name, they are nasty.

Dave

[Hivolt]

Originally Posted by upthesaukee

Not sure what they are. They look like a common house fly, are equipped with an afterburner to evade the fastest swat, and can take a chunk of meat with one bite. We used to see them out on the boat, whether in a cove like Robert's Cove or drifting in the Broads.

Bottom line, regardless of their actual name, they are nasty.

Dave

I think you're referring to a stable fly, we encountered them on Rattlesnake Island last year for the first time after a a neighbor put in a lawn and started bagging grass clippings, apparently they are attracted to wet piles of decomposing crap. When they bite they don't leave a welt or a bump.

[ApS]

Unseen insect biters are probably "No-see-ums"--a midge also known as "Flying Jaws". They're out at dawn and dusk, and target ankles and elbows. Maggies Farm repellent is very successful in keeping them away.

Originally Posted by sunfishman

Here is a picture of a biting fly that I killed recently at the beach. They are quite quick, and you have to be willing to let it start to bite you in order for you to nail it. Insectologists,? please zoom in and tell us what it is. They have been plentiful this year.

That's a stealthy "Stable Fly". They're in the Horse Fly family, but look like an ordinary House Fly. The mouth parts of the ordinary House Fly look like a plunger, while those of a Stable Fly look like a dagger. Swat one, and a blood trail is proof.

The Deer Fly has stripes on its wings (as pictured), lands first on your head, circles you a few times, then stealthily bites exposed skin. Wait several seconds after first sighting one, then swat it with a rolled-up magazine when it lands on your calf. The "deer" fly spares no mammal, and leaves a blood trail when swatted. In states to the south, expect some yellow/orange coloration. Wear white clothing to discourage them.

The Horse Fly is comparatively mammoth in size, is stealthy, and is readily consumed by dragonflies in the Darner family. You won't see both at the same time--for long!

Maybe a dragonfly decal on your boat's deck will keep them away?

[Winilyme]

Originally Posted by SailinAway

No. This one. Please exercise extreme caution.
Attachment 17682

Ha. What are you smoking today Sailin. You're on a roll.

[Winilyme]

That isn't the deer fly that I know so well from our property in CT. A deer fly will have distinctive wing stripes/pattern. In CT, they relentlessly swarm around your head during the month of July. Typically around marshy wetlands and wet woodlands. I have found solutions that help make being outside tolerable during that month. Otherwise, you are simply miserable and the bite is very painful.

[thinkxingu]

This is what I'm not loving. These things sting quicker than I feel them and the bitten area blows up for a couple hours.



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[tis]

I have had something biting me the last couple of days but they seem to be tiny. Last evening I had to come inside. I think they might be white tiny things.

[Winilyme]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

This is what I'm not loving. These things sting quicker than I feel them and the bitten area blows up for a couple hours.



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Now THAT is a deer fly.

[WinnisquamZ]

So it’s not just me. Thank you all. The little bast@$&@s are disrespectful to this writers cigar time.


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[Cutting]

We have purchased these rescue outdoor fly traps https://www.amazon.com/STERLING-INTE...en%2C63&sr=1-4

They work and will collect tons of flies.

[SailinAway]

I believe the photos above are of horseflies.

https://www.google.com/search?q=hors...h=320&dpr=1.62

[WinnisquamZ]

Originally Posted by Cutting

We have purchased these rescue outdoor fly traps https://www.amazon.com/STERLING-INTE...en%2C63&sr=1-4

They work and will collect tons of flies.

Thank you. I purchased two and they are working. Thanks for the advice


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[Winilyme]

If any of you frequent areas with deer flies during their in-season (mid-summer), purchase these:

https://www.amazon.com/12-Deerfly-Pa.../dp/B0038RO1YI

I use these at our CT home where, in July, the deer flies are merciless no matter what I'm doing outside. They are also great to have along when hiking at that time of year. These make being outside enjoyable again. Almost every single fly will attempt to land on your head where they get stuck to the flypaper. Yes, you'll feel a little odd with patches of dead or dying deer flies on your cap but given the alternative, who cares.

Note...these are specifically for deer flies (see Thinks photo below) as they nearly always go for the head. They will not work with other biting flies.

[Chickie]

Thank you, ApS, for your post regarding the similarities and differences in the various biting flies which are prevalent throughout the Lakes Region and beyond.

As a child I spent a great deal of time at the family farm in Gilford and remember those pesky stable flies very well. My uncles kept a hand-held sprayer in the barn filled with a liquid mixture to spray their cows when those horrible creatures swarmed around tormenting them. It had a rather pungent, but not overly offensive, odor, which was a part of the “big barn smell” in those days. It was a weapon most farmers kept in their arsenals to alleviate the torture of their cattle from those flies. I believe it was purchased at the Merrimack Farmers’ Exchange in Laconia. I suspect it may have contained creosote. Meanwhile, the cows battled them with a weapon of their own, as well. They would swish their tails from side to side and over their backs as far as they could reach to try to keep them away. Yes, stable flies can deliver a painful bite and they show no mercy.