Biting Flies in BCS. Yes, One Hunts You.
Nothing spoils a day outside as a swarm of biting flies. These are true pests and they take a toll by feeding on human blood. Biting flies are a pestering nuisance from early summer through August and sometimes they linger far into September.
Bryan and College Station residents are used to the smaller black biting fly, but did you now that their bigger cousins can range to one and a half inches in length and leave you with an oozing, bloody bite?
The deer flies and horse flies are monsters and very sneaky. Females are the ones that chase you down for a sip of your blood. When they bite they take about one cc of blood. For those of you who raise livestock, biting flies can cause a drop in livestock weight and increase in stress. Their bites also can lead to secondary infections.
Diseases & Biting Flies
Biting flies spread disease though the most significant risk from their bite is a secondary infection. Their bites are itchy and painful. They are known to spread anthrax in the rare case that they should bite an animal that is infected with the anthrax pathogen. Flies are one of the orders of insects that spread the most diseases.
What Can You Do About Biting Flies?
Biting flies are tough to control. That is because they hunt in a five-mile radius. That is a lot of ground to cover and for pest management controlling biting flies takes a lot of know-how and experience. We have both.
Understanding the Differences in Flies
One of the significant differences between fly species is their food source. For example, a fruit fly does not usually eat the same thing that a housefly eats. Some flies only eat nectar and are considered pollinators. Others only eat rotting flesh – the flesh flies. Biting flies only eat warm blood – the females that are. The males eat plant sap. A mosquito does bite, but it is not part of the biting fly families.
The differences between what one species of fly eats and another species of fly are what makes controlling flies such an ordeal. You have first know what kind of fly is pestering you and then what it eats or what it is attracted too. Then you can apply a baiting program that targets that fly.
Yes, They Hunt You
In the case of biting flies, you also have to know how they hunt because they are not like other flies. They hunt you. Many species of flies follow their antenna (scent sniffing organ) to a food source. Biting flies, on the other hand, are also visual hunters. This is why they come with names such as deer fly and horse fly – their targets are larger mammals.
Learn more about how to control biting flies by reaching out to our team. We are happy to answer your questions and set up a service call. From there, we can ID the fly and discuss with you the options of controlling it. We provide affordable and ongoing pest control services throughout the Bryan and College Station communities.
