Deer Flies

jill jackson

jill jackson

Joined
Sep 5, 2006
Messages
20,593
They suck! Literally!
I do a lot of hiking all year long in the woods and those little annoying blood-suckers never let up from about early May, till early August. It takes a lot of extra effort to fight them off and they always favor just one of my 4 dogs, so I have to kill them as they land on her too.(they seem to like me as well) Thing is the older folks tell me that back before deer were so numerous there wasn't hardly any. The only good thing about them is they are somewhat slow and easy to kill, once they land. What sort of regional flying blood-suckers bother other members when they are out and about in their neck of the woods? And, how do you deal with them?
 
We have a few deer flies around here,but the skeeters are the worst,just after sunset you better be headed indoors.
 
Evil creatures, evil... Unlike mosquitoes that just want a little blood, deer flies want MEAT. Also, they can withstand a powerful whack and just fly away with a chunk-o-you between their nasty little mandibles.
 
I think your deer flies are what we call horse flies. They aren't really a problem unless maybe you are on low-lying land near water. A 4" pointing trowel kills them every time, they don't see it coming. They seem to like landing on leather shoes for some reason.

Biting insects generally aren't much of a problem in England, no mosquitos. Midges can be a bit annoying at certain times in certain places in the summer, but nothing like the pest they can be in Scotland.

Andy
 
We have horse flies and while much larger, than the deer flies they aren't nearly as numerous. They aren't as persistent either. You don't have to be near water either for deer flies to swarm you, just out in the woods.
 
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Its a bad bug year here with the rain. But with all the cold weather, the deer flies are fewer, and easier to kill as they are slower. All the other biting winged things are making up for the deer flies shortfall.
 
So that's what those suckers are. I had two of the little bastards take bites out of me a few weeks ago. It hurt and I had to go to the trouble of stopping my bike, losing all my momentum, and swatting the suckers off. HATE.
 
Jill et al,

Check out this related thread in the wilderness forum including ideas for protecting yourself and your dogs from deer files and mosquitoes:

Mosquitos
 
I didn't know what deer flies were so I looked them up on wikipedia. I was informed there that horse fly was an alternative name, teach me to rely on wikipedia, hmm? :)
 
From the University of Kentucky Entomology Department...

Deer fly

deerfly.jpg


Horse fly

horsefly.jpg


Black Horse fly

blackhorsefly.jpg
 
These and other Pests are just some of the reasons I like working in the Woods when it is Colder.


BTW I take Deer Flies over Ticks any day.
 
Had the same problem when i was in Italy. I found that liberal applications of rubbing alcohol seems to discourage them.
 
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