Feb already biting flies active northwest florida

[barnetmill]

Wet forested areas of northwest florida from spring until about mid august have vicious flies. I saw one buzzing and the dog and could see what it was. There something similar last week. This fly was the size and shape of our infamous yellow flies, but the wing had darker marking on it and it is still Feb 2023.
Below yellow fly

[barnetmill]

The one I saw was more like below

[Budzilla 19]

We call em “deer flies” over here in SW Louisiana! Nasty, biting little suckers!

[dverna]

Just one reason I do not mind winter and living in MI. But we get those deer flies in the summer, and they are miserable.

[MrWolf]

Wet forested areas of northwest florida from spring until about mid august have vicious flies. I saw one buzzing and the dog and could see what it was. There something similar last week. This fly was the size and shape of our infamous yellow flies, but the wing had darker marking on it and it is still Feb 2023.
Below yellow fly

Looks a lot like horse flies that we have here. Nasty, biting, and dead when I can hit em.

[barnetmill]

Looks a lot like horse flies that we have here. Nasty, biting, and dead when I can hit em.

We also have various horse-stable flies. These are about the size of house fly. Horse flies are bigger and come as several species. There is a giant horse fly and just one of them going after you is no joke. They almost always you from your back.

[farmbif]

we didn't have much of a winter here in the southeast. I imagine the ticks and flys and wasps will be thick this year. its like spring is here m ore than a month earlier than usual

[elmacgyver0]

I will take them over politicians any day.

[barnetmill]

we didn't have much of a winter here in the southeast. I imagine the ticks and flys and wasps will be thick this year. its like spring is here m ore than a month earlier than usual

I talked to a lady that in about January got hit by ground nesting yellow jackets here in northwest florida. In the december I got hit right between the eyes by one. Our lowest temp for my place for 20F in december during national storm. But we have been warming up for the 10 days and so the flies are coming out. m

Tick when we have them get active about mid fall and go heavy until spring. Very few this year for some reason.

[Winger Ed.]

I had a buddy who would go with me to the poison ivy fram and tick ranch in East Texas from time to time.

I was out with him and the country flies-- unlike city flies, they'd land on me and try to chew a piece off.
I didn't know he'd been stuffing himself with garlic for a few days,,,,,,

When I asked him, "Are the flies hitting you like this"? "They're about to rip me to shreds".
He said, "No..... I think you must smell more like dog crap than I do".

[GregLaROCHE]

Those are the really bad ones that take pieces out of your skin, aren’t they ? There are a few around here, but the real problem we have, because we have live stock, are normal black flies. When summer get into full swing, they are everywhere. The best thing to control them in the house are the old fashioned coiled up fly paper. We need a lot of them and we need to change them often. Sleeping at night with light off we’re ok, but don’t try taking a siesta in the afternoon. I’ve found using plain mineral oil on my skin deters them from biting as much as Deet products. A fan blowing on you helps too. We still use fly swatter too.

[Winger Ed.]

The best thing to control them in the house are the old fashioned coiled up fly paper.

Make sure they are above head high.
There's nothing much more miserable than walking into one in the dark.

[GregLaROCHE]

Make sure they are above head high.
There's nothing much more miserable than walking into one in the dark.

Don’t tell me about that. I had one over the dinner table once and a kitten thought it was a play thing. Came home to find it all wrapped up hiding in a corner.

[Winger Ed.]

kitten thought it was a play thing. Came home to find it all wrapped up hiding in a corner.

Now that's funny.
It reminds me of Br'er Rabbit getting stuck on the tar baby in the Uncle Remus story.
It's just as funny now as it was in the 1880s when it was published.

Did the cat look at you with that 'Good to see you, now help me Pa' expression, or the one that says, 'this is all your fault'?

[barnetmill]

Those are the really bad ones that take pieces out of your skin, aren’t they ? There are a few around here, but the real problem we have, because we have live stock, are normal black flies. When summer get into full swing, they are everywhere. The best thing to control them in the house are the old fashioned coiled up fly paper. We need a lot of them and we need to change them often. Sleeping at night with light off we’re ok, but don’t try taking a siesta in the afternoon. I’ve found using plain mineral oil on my skin deters them from biting as much as Deet products. A fan blowing on you helps too. We still use fly swatter too.

Avon skin so soft is popular down here in northwest florida for keeping them at bay. The yellow flies are particularly attracted to sweaty hair and scalp. I typically apply it to a light wt brimmed hat and also the collar of my shirt. Yellow flies will not go inside the home and the large horse flies if you can get your back against a wall will back off a little and will generally go away and if not you can smack them if they are unable to get you in the back.

[deces]

The most annoying ones we get besides the house flies are those giant Crane flies. Some years they are everywhere.

[Jedman]

My wife and I and my sister and my BIL just spent 2 weeks in Belize in later January and that is supposed to be the period where there should have not been any biting insects.
Of course it was warm and humid and both of the women got hundreds of bites from sand flys which are so small you don’t see them especially on their legs. My sister actually had to get 2 shots of steroids and had to put on some kind of lotion to control the itching. The bites leave a noticeable red spot on your skin that lasts for several weeks and continues to itch also. I was lucky that for some reason they didn’t bite me except a few times on my forearms but you just don’t see them but sure feel the bite afterwards. Now that I am older and less tolerant of uncomfortable conditions I just don’t put myself in those conditions as well as I can and biting insects are not anything I will tolerate like I once did when I use to bear hunt and fish in mosquito infested places.
Jedman

[Tazman1602]

In a month or so in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan it’s usually either black flies or hummingbird sized mosquitoes. When you look a a black fly under a microscope you only see two things, (really…) those would be teeth and a rectum. Almost impossible to see and they will make you bleed and itch for hours.

Growing up in Florida the first 15 years of life, I remember these danged horseflies that would take chunks out of you, only way to get away from them was to be in a lake or the ocean and take a deep breath and go completely under for a minute or so, down there the stinking’ gnats would swarm so bad you would sometimes suck in a mouthful……YUCK!

Art

[Rapier]

Living on a Bayou, I made a point to learn about the yellow flies here in NW FL, they lay eggs on the tall water grass along rivers, lakes and bayous. They hatch at a certain temp in the spring and die off around july when it gets real hot. They are similar to a cross between a moose fly and a black fly. The bite contains an enzyme that makes the wound bleed, if you rub or scratch the bite it spreads the enzyme and itches lke crazy. The real trick is to not touch the bite at all. If you have one land on you, wait until it dips its head then whack it hard, they are hard to kill, may require you step on them when on the ground. Some people are very allergic to the bite, and can have symptoms similar to a bee sting, anaphylaxis plus large blisters.
I have been told that being bitten multiple times at once, can cause a severe reaction that may last some time. Only time I have heard of this occouring was a father and son on the Yellow River, went fishing forgot the Deep Woods Off, motor quit, had to paddle back to the landing on 87, yellow flies about ate them alive.
Deep Woods Off works some what, I found that Garden Fogger, not for skin contact, sprayed in hands and rubbed on exposed skin works best for me. SOS works on skeeters, but yellow flies drink it and party on it. Best to wear thicker cloth garments to keep them from biting through them.
I own a tree farm now, so live in the woods with them.They are sneaky, aggravating, blood suckers that bite right through thin shirts like nothing.

[barnetmill]

Living on a Bayou, I made a point to learn about the yellow flies here in NW FL, they lay eggs on the tall water grass along rivers, lakes and bayous. They hatch at a certain temp in the spring and die off around july when it gets real hot. They are similar to a cross between a moose fly and a black fly. The bite contains an enzyme that makes the wound bleed, if you rub or scratch the bite it spreads the enzyme and itches lke crazy. The real trick is to not touch the bite at all. If you have one land on you, wait until it dips its head then whack it hard, they are hard to kill, may require you step on them when on the ground. Some people are very allergic to the bite, and can have symptoms similar to a bee sting, anaphylaxis plus large blisters.
I have been told that being bitten multiple times at once, can cause a severe reaction that may last some time. Only time I have heard of this occouring was a father and son on the Yellow River, went fishing forgot the Deep Woods Off, motor quit, had to paddle back to the landing on 87, yellow flies about ate them alive.
Deep Woods Off works some what, I found that Garden Fogger, not for skin contact, sprayed in hands and rubbed on exposed skin works best for me. SOS works on skeeters, but yellow flies drink it and party on it. Best to wear thicker cloth garments to keep them from biting through them.
I own a tree farm now, so live in the woods with them.They are sneaky, aggravating, blood suckers that bite right through thin shirts like nothing.

I so far am not allergic to fly bites, But i am reacting a lot more to tick bites more than I use to. But does allow me detect the tick get them off not before they get too big. Like in 12 hours. The same for getting more painful form yellow jacket bites.