Horse flies

Horse flies One of the most ferocious breed of flies that are common found both in urban and suburban areas near bodies of water. They are bloodsucking insects that form serious on cattle, horses and humans. They are member of Tabanidae; they are as small as house flies or as large as bumble bee. Horse flies are pests that bite human by their cutting and tearing type mouth parts. In this article, we will see how to identify them, their life cycle, diets, and how to get rid of them.

Identification of Horse Flies

Horse flies are black, grey or yellowish-brown in color, often have large and green eyes.  Horse flies are varying in length from about 20 to 25 mm long with big head. Their bodies cover with hairs; they are very similar to honey bees, but they have only pair of wings. Wings have faint smokey spots. Their mouth is composed of six flesh sharp parts.

Deer Fly Vs Horse Fly

Horse flies are very similar to deer flies, but horse flies are larger than beer flies. They have distinguished shape; they have large eyes with huge head and stouter body. Their wings are very clear whereas deer flies have dark bands or spots across their wings. The main way which tells you that they are apart is to look at their size and wings.

Behavior and Habitat

horse flies prefer warm and damp climates, so they are most found in low lying herbages near creeks, tanks or streams. Males of flesh flies feed on pollen collectors while females are sucking animal blood. They use carbon di-oxide and dark moving objects to locate their prey.

Horse fly feeding habits

Females of horse flies need a meal of blood before they lay their eggs. So, females feed on blood as it provides protein to reproduce effectively while males feed on flower nectar, plant juices, honeydew and other plant liquid. In the larva or maggot stage, they feed on small insects that present near the breeding areas.

Life Cycle

Females of horse flies lay their eggs in moist soil, under stones, gravels or vegetation often close to source of water. Once hatching, larvae emerge or move into water or moist soil. During this stage, they feed on small insects that present near their areas. They have spindle shaped, and they are white in color. The larvae stage takes one year to ended; they burrow into the moist soil after that the pupae stage starts. The pupal stage ranges from 6 to 12 days. The adult flies take from 3 to 10 weeks to emerge out of the puparium.

Seriousness of Horse Flies

Horse flies’ bites are very painful because their mouthparts are used for tearing and lapping and cause allergic reaction. If their bites are not treated well, they may cause secondary bacterial infections. Most blood-sucking insects do not transmit disease, unlike mosquitoes and ticks. Insect repellents are not getting rid of horse flies completely.

What Should I Do to treat a Horse Fly bite?

When a horse fly bites you, you should keep the wound clean and apply ointment to reduce the reaction of irritation and itchiness. In many cases, the bite of horse flies can heal by itself in a few days. You should observe the bite of horse fly for signs of an infection like foul odor. If you observe any unusual symptoms, you should contact with your doctor. Their bites can cause serious reactions. if you have a rash, breath difficulty, or pain, you should seek for medical care.

How Get rid of Flesh Flies?

To eradicate flesh flies is very difficult because it may be impossible to locate their breeding sites, as they breed in sensitive environment like moist soil or under water. So we may worry about the effects of drain insecticide application on non-target organisms. These insects can fly for far distance, so their breeding sites may be far away from where problems are occurring. Using insect repellents can help you to enjoy outdoors. But you should contact with our Pest control company in Jeddah which can help you with its skilled professionals and trained technicians to control and manage these insects.