Why do deer flies bite

These flies apparently are attracted to such things as movement, shiny surfaces, carbon dioxide, and warmth. Once on a host, they use their knife-like mouthparts to slice the skin and feed on the blood pool that is created. Bites can be very painful and there may be an allergic reaction to the salivary secretions released by the insects as they feed. The irritation and swelling from bites usually disappears in a day or so.

However, secondary infections may occur when bites are scratched. General first aid-type skin creams may help to relieve the pain from bites.

In rare instances, there may be allergic reactions involving hives and wheezing. Male flies feed on nectar and are of no consequence as animal pests. Horse flies and deer flies are intermittent feeders. Their painful bites generally elicit a response from the victim so the fly is forced to move to another host. Consequently, they may be mechanical vectors of some animal and human diseases.

The larvae of horse fly and deer fly species develop in the mud along pond edges or stream banks, wetlands, or seepage areas. Some are aquatic and a few develop in relatively dry soil.

Females lay batches of 25 to 1, eggs on vegetation that stand over water or wet sites. The larvae that hatch from these eggs fall to the ground and feed upon decaying organic matter or small organisms in the soil or water. The larvae, stage usually lasts from one to three years, depending on the species. Mature larvae crawl to drier areas to pupate and ultimately emerge as adults.

Deer flies are usually active for specific periods of time during the summer. Eyes : Some of the more distinctive deer fly characteristics are their large, often brightly colored eyes.

Female deer flies are persistent blood feeders, but the males do not consume blood. Instead, they subsist by feeding on pollen and nectar from plants. Larvae are aquatic and feed primarily on organic debris.

Pupae do not feed. Deer flies natural predators include frogs and toads, spiders, wasps and hornets, dragonflies and some bird species. Once the skin is injured, blood begins to flow and the female then uses other mouthpart components to lap up and ingest the exposed blood. Deer flies will feed on a variety of mammals that include humans, pets, livestock and deer.

The insects usually target high on a host's body, such as the head or neck. In contrast, horse flies feed on various areas but often prefer the legs. Also, deer flies prefer to attack a moving host, while horse flies prefer to attack a stationary host. Deer fly females will continue to return to a host and bite repeatedly if their feeding behavior is interrupted for some reason.

Much like mosquitoes, the stimuli used to locate a host involves carbon dioxide given off by warm-blooded animals plus visual cues such as motion, size, shape and dark color. Localized symptoms including swelling and an itchy red area around the bite.

Persistent itching and scratching of bite wounds leading to secondary bacterial infections if the bite is not kept clean and disinfected. Since deer flies inject anticoagulant-containing saliva during blood feeding, some life threatening serious reactions may occur in people that are highly allergic to the anticoagulant compounds. Symptoms may include a rash on the body, wheezing, swelling around the eyes, swelling of the lips and dizziness or weakness.

Deer flies are plentiful in damp, wooded or wetland environments such as marshes, ponds and streams, and their activity peaks in June and July throughout much of their area of distribution. Deer fly larvae develop in the mud and aquatic muck that occurs along the edges of bodies of water such as ponds, stream banks, wetlands or seepage areas.

Female flies lay batches of to eggs on vegetation that stands over water or wet sites. Larvae hatch and fall below, where they feed on decaying organic matter or small organisms in the environment. However, a study in found that Bounce dryer sheets repelled fungus gnats.

Deer flies and horse flies tend to swarm the highest part of a moving object. You can also More by Aislinn Sarnacki. Skip to content. Here are a few things to try: 1. Test out liquid repellents.

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