Airborne invasion in SW Ohio

[Pb2au]

So, there I was, finishing up dinner on the grill, when all of a sudden, it felt like a bear trap snapped on my calf. Sure enough, a lowlife horsefly had decided to make a meal of me.
I killed the thing with a swat of my hand. About two minutes later, here comes another one. It lands on the table, it gets a one way ticket insect Valhalla. Ok, all done right? Nope, here comes another one, and it gets itself killed as well.

For those that have never had the pleasure, a horsefly looks like an oversized housefly, complete with a bad attitude.
Pretty strange, we've never had a lot of the around the compound before. I still hate those flying bloodsuckers!

[SeabeeMan]

They are HORRIBLE! Around here lately they have been organizing and targeting the ears, mouth, and nose.

[Goatwhiskers]

One thing about horseflies, big black ones or the smaller greenish ones, you darn sure know when one bites you. Down here in swamp country they used to give us fits when we went swimming in the river. GW

[Bullshop]

And a thin shirt is no protection at all as they can bight right through it.

[Pb2au]

And a thin shirt is no protection at all as they can bight right through it.
that is a true story. Their choppers are armor piercing. I've had them go right through t shirts like there was nothing there.
grrrr, I really hate those critters.

[MaryB]

Try blackflies. I came in from mowing today and my legs were covered in blood dots where they had bit me. Little suckers hurt too! That was on top of about 30 mosquito bites!

[RP]

Kind of feels like getting shot with a red ryder BB gun dog flies are not much better well that's what we call them here looks like a large house fly but most are yellow and they are fast.

[RPRNY]

We get deer flies in VT. Smaller with delta wings and green heads but that bite is still ad M-F. And the welt lasts a while!

[bikerbeans]

Lucky me in NW Ohio, we have both horse flies and deer flies and their seasons overlap for a few weeks. The pests do make for some good entertainment when they swarm my wife's horses. You wouldn't think a half broke down 24 year old horse could buck that hard.

BB

[Pb2au]

Deer flies are the ninja brother to the horsefly. We used to feed them on fishing trips up nort in Wisconsin, Michigan and Canada. Those are tenacious little buggers as well.
Pretty much black flies, horse flies, and Deerflies are the jerks of the insect world.
Wasps are filled with hate and pain, but at least they kinda warn you to go away. Not horseflies, they just wait till your back is turned and then carve a chunk out of you.

[John in WYO]

You know Cheyenne Frontier Days is on when all the flies show up.

And it is on now!

[.45Cole]

The difference between horse flies and deer flies is that a horse fly lands and then bites. All the d*mn deer flies around here land biting.

[smokeywolf]

Numbers wise, horseflies haven't been a big issue around here. In spite of spending many years around horses, I've only been bitten by horseflies maybe a dozen times.
The lower population of mosquitoes, horseflies, etc. is something I'll miss when I leave Kali. However, I'd rather deal with an infestation of mosquitoes, ticks, horseflies, chiggers or any other insect than the infestation of criminal aliens and their liberal-progressive supporters that Kali is suffering from.

[MaryB]

Picked raspberries and the last of the gosseberries, blackflies ate me alive as did the mosquitoes. Deet doesn't even slow them down unless it is the illegal 100% stuff

[Pb2au]

Ouch. Those are some hard earned berries. The jam and cobbler will be worth it though. ;-)
We don't get blackflies in SW Ohio, though I remember them from camping trips in Canada and the UP of Michigan.

[MaryB]

fresh berries alone are worth it! Ate a ton as I picked. Rest went in the freezer to be used later after I pick more. Thinking jam...

[psmokey]

We have just about all the biting critters here . I still have several bottles of the good deets left. It keeps them at bay.

Phil

[badge176]

deer flies and Horse flies bite a trough in you and them lap up the damn blood as it pours out, making a mosquito look like a expert surgeon.

Once shared a special moment with a big dragon fly that landed on my shoulder to devour a Deer fly, I cheered him on! dragon flies are the cobra gunships of the insect world, alway glad to see THEM!

[Pb2au]

Once shared a special moment with a big dragon fly that landed on my shoulder to devour a Deer fly, I cheered him on! dragon flies are the cobra gunships of the insect world, alway glad to see THEM!

I am glad I am not the only person that views insects little aircraft...
For sure dragonflies are Cobra gunships.

[starmac]

What is the difference in legal 100% deet and illegal 100% deet? All I buy is 100%, the other stuff is just bad perfume.

[MaryB]

100% hasn't been on the market here for years.

[williamwaco]

We have the big black ones here.

They are about half the size of a full grown crow.

The only good news is that they are so loud you can hear the buzz 30 feet away.