Hello, I'm the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/
Here's your outdoor tip on biting flies.
Flies are probably next to mosquitos in being the most unwanted guests at your outdoor picnic. Most people have been bitten more than once by some type of fly. There are about 120,000 species of flies in the world and many bite humans for their blood. These fly bites may transmit disease to people or transfer disease to food that they land on and humans later eat. Each fly species has its own habits and ecology, but I’d like to share with you some information on a few flies that you might come in contact with. Most winged insects have four wings, but flies have only two wings. Her mouthparts are designed to suck up liquid and for piercing.
Like mosquitoes, biting flies find humans by sensing carbon dioxide, warmth, perspiration and movement. Dark clothing is their preference. Once landed the fly uses its piercing mouthparts to lacerate the skin and to inject an anticoagulant to keep the human blood flowing. This can trigger an allergic reaction or transmit disease.
In the United States, deer flies are one of the flies that transmit disease to humans. Rabbit fever is a bacterial disease that can be transmitted by deer flies. These yellow-brown flies are about ¼ inch long about the size of a house fly and most prevalent in the spring. Their larva or maggots are aquatic leaving the adults to be found near streams, lakes and marshes.
Both deer and horse flies have scissor mouthparts that cut the skin with a painful bite to enable them to suck up the blood. Horse flies can be more than 1 inch long and are usually black with some having a green head and shiny green eyes. Their larvae live in water or moist ground where they can prey on other insects before migrating to dryer soil for their cocoon stage. It may take two years for them to become adult flies.
The stable fly is a gray fly about ¼ inch long with four dark stripes on its back. It looks like a house fly with a pointed proboscis through which they suck blood. They are most active early in the morning or late afternoon attacking the ankles with a sharp, stabbing pain. Their larvae are similar to house flies with their eggs laid in rotting materials.
Black flies are humpbacked flies about 1/8 inch long. They are also known as buffalo gnats. They do not carry disease, but can inflict severe injury with their bites when there are large numbers. The frequently create allergic reactions with considerable swelling and bleeding and slow healing bites. They prefer to attack the head or areas with tight fitting clothing.
Biting midges are flies that should not be confused with other non-biting, larger midges. The biters are less than 1/32 inch long and often called no-see-ums. They are small enough to go through window screens and can be serious pests on lakes and rivers. Many will suck human blood and also go after other species of insects including mosquitos.
Sand flies are no more than 1/8 inches with hairy brown-gray bodies and wings that form a V shape when they are at rest. They feed on humans especially at night and are suspected of transmitting several diseases.
Control of flies is difficult:
1. Burning smoky candles and torches can be of some help.
2. Many pesticides kill flies only on contact and flies may pick up some of these chemicals from surface contact.
3. Deet and a few other chemicals might be effective, but many normal mosquito repellents are ineffective.
4. Head nets and keeping your body covered is one of the best methods of prevention.
5. Heavy applications of skin oil might help with the smallest of flies.
6. Some people say that Garlic Oil, Lavender Oil, Peppermint Oil and Eucalyptus Oil is helpful, but there is no guarantee of success.
Methods for caring for a wound or wounds are also limited
1. Treat a wound with soap and water.
2. Do not scratch it and create a secondary infection.
3. Rubbing may spread possible poisons and disease.
4. Applying ice for a few minutes may help.
5. Vinegar might help the itching.
6. It is best to seek medical attention if severe pain or bleeding persists.
Flies can be a true challenge to your outdoor adventures and unfortunately avoidance is the best method for relief. Protecting your body with netting and long sleeve shirt and pants are the best preventative measure for a serious fly problem.
This is the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/
References-Additional Reading
Types of Fly Bites
http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/fly-bites
What caused this bug bite?
http://www.healthline.com/health/bug-bites
Biting Flies
http://www.orkin.com/flies/biting-flies/
Biting Flies
http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pcbitingflies.htm
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