Battling black flies
After May 15th I can start planting our garden, and each year it is the same thing! I get attacked by black flies which ruin everything. Black fly fossils have been found dating back to the Jurassic period and I assume they were as aggressive then as they are now.
My rule of thumb is: black flies appear with mother’s day and will disappear with father’s day, which means, they’ll be a nuisance for quite some time.
Not everybody will be attacked by black flies as I am. It depends probably on skin type and blood.
Although black flies belong to the same family as mosquitoes, they breed in streams and other moving water, instead of the stagnant puddles that mosquitoes prefer. While male black flies feed on nectar, the females need blood before laying eggs for a new generation to bother everybody.
My rule of thumb is: black flies appear with mother’s day and will disappear with father’s day, which means, they’ll be a nuisance for quite some time.
Not everybody will be attacked by black flies as I am. It depends probably on skin type and blood.
Although black flies belong to the same family as mosquitoes, they breed in streams and other moving water, instead of the stagnant puddles that mosquitoes prefer. While male black flies feed on nectar, the females need blood before laying eggs for a new generation to bother everybody.
The female applies a shallow bite by first stretching the skin. The saliva has a numbing effect and therefore you do not feel that the fly is taking your blood. Only when it starts to itch and after checking, you see the blood and swelling. And the swelling will last for days, sometimes weeks. Some people are allergic against the black flies’ saliva. I know of one case where the victim had to go to the hospital for a couple of days.
Black flies go for the parts of your body where the skin is thin, i.e. your ears, your neck, eyes and ankles. Even putting antibacterial ointment on right away, does not help a great deal. The itching will return. One folk remedy that seems to help, is to press a very warm spoon against the wound and hold it there. The heat helps to break down the enzymes that cause the itching. Do it 2-3 times and within an hour you'll probably realize that it isn't itching any longer.
So how can you protect yourself? I found that light colored clothes help. I also wear a shirt with long sleeves, and I put my socks over the end of the pants. One time I had a female feasting more than once up and down my leg.
Wearing a hat is a good idea and put all the hair under it. They are attracted to hair blowing in the wind. I read about putting sticky tape on your hat to catch them before the act. In Australia they have cords with corks at the end hanging down from the rim of your hat. Those cords move of course when you move, thus chasing the black flies away.
So if you plan a visit to the country between mother’s and father’s day, you should come prepared. May and June in the country are wonderful weatherwise, so a little preparation will help you enjoy when nature awakes with such abundance!
Wearing a hat is a good idea and put all the hair under it. They are attracted to hair blowing in the wind. I read about putting sticky tape on your hat to catch them before the act. In Australia they have cords with corks at the end hanging down from the rim of your hat. Those cords move of course when you move, thus chasing the black flies away.
So if you plan a visit to the country between mother’s and father’s day, you should come prepared. May and June in the country are wonderful weatherwise, so a little preparation will help you enjoy when nature awakes with such abundance!
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