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Deer Flies and Horse Flies Attack
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Taken from the P.E.S.T. (Pest Evaluation and Suppressiona Techniques) Newsletter
Dr. David Shetlar (OSU Plant Entomolgist) in partnership with Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association |
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| I’m getting reports from across the state about major deer fly attacks. I suspect that this will be followed shortly by horse fly attacks. Why? Deer flies and horse flies are very closely related (in the same family of flies, the Tabanidae) deer flies are generally smaller flies, about a half inch long or less, with brown markings on the wings. The eyes are often bright green which gives them the common name of “greenheads”. The horse flies are usually larger, occasionally longer than one inch, but the wings are usually clear or solidly gray to black in color. All the tabanids have semi-aquatic larvae that prefer to live in wetland sites. They are normally found in the mud at the bases of plants and weeds that grow along the edges of rivers, lakes and ponds. Obviously, thick growth |
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| of cattails makes a very attractive site for these pests. This is one of the reasons why I often recommend taking out the cattail around ponds in condo sites, on golf courses and similar places. It’s also a reason I get fairly concerned about the construction of “water gardens” which are really water retention sites. If these are maintained correctly, you can have little chance of breeding up tabanids or mosquitoes, but when poorly managed, these can become major breeding places. There’s not much that can be done once the deer and horse flies begin to take flight. They are going to be attracted to anything that moves, especially along wood lots. The adults like to rest in the cool shade, but they will take off to take a blood meal when they see an animal (including humans) move! The bites are quite nasty and they can bite through thin clothing. The mouthparts consist of a dagger and a sponge (we call them slashing-lapping mouthparts). The dagger part cuts a hole in the skin and then the sponge laps up the blood that oozes from the wound. No wonder their bites feel like little knife stabs. The adults do not like the taste of most of the mosquito repellents and there are some sticky tag gizmos that can be attached to the backs of caps, but I’m not overly convinced of the efficacy of these. You are better off wearing long-sleeve shirts and a hat with a wide brim with repellent lathered on exposed skin. |
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