Unfriendly neighborhood or flies that bite

1. Danger from proximity to flies
2. Biting flies - let's get to know each other better
3. Bloodsucking, family Hippoboscidae
4. Horseflies or spiders
5. Gadflies
6. Midges of the family Simuliidae
7. Tsetse fly
8. First aid for victims of fly bites
9. Means of control and prevention

There are more than 80 thousand species of dipterous insects, but there is a separate group of flies (synanthropic flies) that cannot imagine their life without humans. This closeness to people means that these insects are more likely to harm them than others.

Such unwanted neighbors include meat flies, cheese flies, fruit flies, midges, horse flies and horse flies, and many others.

Danger from proximity to flies

In addition to being repulsive, these insects can cause health problems. The harm caused to a person depends on the lifestyle of a particular species or method of subsistence.

Main types of hazards from flies:

• spread of infectious intestinal diseases - flying from feces, animal corpses, garbage bins to human food, flies carry on their bodies the causative agents of cholera, dysentery, toxic infection, typhoid fever, eggs and larvae of various helminths. They also contaminate food products with their own feces and belching;
• infection with eye infections (trachoma, conjunctivitis) - by eating secretions from the eyes of a sick creature and annoying a healthy one, they infect it;
• By biting, flies eat blood, sweat, mucus secreted by the human body, thereby contributing to the formation of wounds that hurt, itch or become very inflamed;
• transmission of polio, tularemia, tuberculosis, anthrax, myiases of tissues or cavities, adenoviral, staphylococcal infections;
• food spoilage;
• nuisance plus infection of domestic animals;
• other.

Small, but ever-penetrating, fast-flying parasites can become a real disaster, because the speed of their reproduction is amazing, as is the ability to cover tens of kilometers in a day, landing on everything.

Why is it dangerous?

Phases of fly development.

Well, let’s even start with the fact that the bite of a burner is very painful. It is not without reason that this type of fly received such a name. At the moment of the bite, the person feels a fairly strong burning pain.

This is not at all a harmless mosquito bite that appears only some time later, no. The zhigalka acts, let's say, much rougher. A mosquito next to a fly is simply a jeweler in his field.

In addition to, in fact, a painful puncture with the proboscis, the burner fly also introduces saliva that irritates the affected area, which has an inflammatory effect at the site of the bite.

Flies.

In addition to pain and inflammation at the puncture site, these dipterous pests, like all flies, are malicious carriers of all sorts of dangerous diseases.

One can only imagine how many times this pest used its piercing weapon during the season, and how dangerous the bite of such a carrier of all sorts of nasty things could be for humans.

Among the diseases that a bite from such a bloodsucker can give us, we highlight the following, namely:

• typhus;
• sepsis;
• anthrax;
• tuberculosis;
• dysentery;
• polio;
• trypanosomiasis.

And this is not the entire list of “free services” that this pest can provide to us voluntarily and completely free of charge.

Biting flies - let's get to know each other better

Among the buzzing dipterans, the most disgusting are those that bite painfully, since one insect is enough to prevent an entire family from sleeping and living normally.

Autumn fireweed (family Stomoxys calcitrans)

This insect prefers to live near humans and domestic animals. But there are known cases when he chooses places where birds or animals gather in the wild - the main thing is a large number of “breadwinners” plus suitable conditions. You can see it everywhere, only the northern regions do not like it.

Outwardly it resembles a domestic specimen, but smaller (up to 8 mm) and grayer. Once in human habitation, it displaces ordinary, non-biting insects. Active only during the day.

Males and females need blood for food. These insects develop up to 1.5 months. During the season they can lay up to five thousand eggs, in portions of up to 20 pieces. For masonry they choose manure, various rotten things, but they can choose the wounds of warm-blooded animals, even humans.

Despite the fact that these small buzzers have been near humans since early spring, they are noticed closer to autumn. They then begin to hysterically chew everything that gets in their way. In summer they feed on the blood of animals.

Variegated flies try to drink as much blood as possible, because there is a long, hungry winter ahead, during which they will sleep - they need to have time to stock up on useful substances, plus find favorable places for eggs. They are attracted by the warmth of human spaces and mouth-watering aromas. And once they get into closed human houses, they begin to sting everyone who gets in their way.

Livers sting from August to November, depending on the ambient temperature.

When biting, the fly rubs its proboscis with teeth against the skin of a person, tears off the thinnest layer of skin, sucks blood, releases saliva with toxic components into it, which causes such irritation.

Compounds contained in saliva prevent blood clotting, making it easier for bloodsuckers to feed. Ordinary flies have “sponges” at the tip of their proboscis, while this species has sharp chitinous scrapers. They bite without preparation, instantly.

Signs of a burner bite:

• piercing point pain;
• severe itching;
• dizziness, loss of coordination, weakness;
• swelling;
• redness, swelling;
• trace with a blood spot.

Allergy sufferers should pay special attention - such a bite can cause an attack.

Symptoms of the bite disappear on their own over time.

Inhabitants of coastal regions

Horseflies are one of the varieties of flies that live mainly near water bodies and concentrations of cattle. Such a sonorous name for the species comes from the fact that during a bite the insect becomes defenseless, as if an invisible veil covers its eyes.

To begin with, these biting flies are very similar to mosquitoes. That is, only females drink blood, since it is needed to conceive offspring. As for the males, they are vegetarians and feed on plant nectar. Therefore, you only need to be wary of “girls”, who also have a very persistent character.

The appearance of a horsefly largely depends on its subspecies. Thus, the length of its body can vary from a few millimeters to two centimeters. For example, the bullfly grows up to 2.5 cm, which is why its bites are extremely painful. As for color, this species is easily recognized by the red-yellow horizontal stripes that encircle the insect’s abdomen.

Bloodsucking, family Hippoboscidae

All representatives of this family are similar: a flat body, jagged legs widely spaced. Adults suck blood from humans or animals. They immediately give birth to live flies.

Deer bloodsucker (Lipoptena servi L)

A tiny insect, very aggressive, “evil”. It prefers large warm-blooded animals, for which it is also called the moose louse, but it does not disdain humans. Lives in forests, tundra, steppe zone.

The bites are painful and irritate the skin. One bite is enough for blood to flow from the wound, the temperature to rise and body aches to begin. In addition to physical discomfort, this tick-like little thing spreads Lyme disease and many others. Its durable shell and special body structure make it indestructible - it is almost impossible to crush it with your fingers.

Horse and dog bloodsucker (Hippobosca equina L., Hippoboska longipennis L. = Hippoboska capensis Olf)

Small, annoying, biting flies that prefer wooly warm-blooded animals, but they will definitely bite a person if he passes by. They often live close to people.

Who bites?

Let’s not hide the fact that among such seemingly harmless insects as flies in terms of physical impact on surrounding insects, there are many predators. We will not dwell on exotic species like the tsetse fly or the Siberian midge, but will talk about our original, domestic, one might say, species of biting flies, which is the autumn flies
.

Autumn zhigalka: description.

The autumn fly is an insect from the family of true flies. Externally, the autumn fly is practically no different from any other housefly. It is also small in size, usually reaching a length of no more than 5-8 mm. It has a uniform gray color with a slightly darker chest and a slightly lighter belly, on which you can see dotted black inclusions.

The main distinguishing feature of these insects is their predatory nature. These are the same bloodsuckers as mosquitoes or vampire bats. Their mouthparts have a trunk-like structure, which allows these bloodsuckers to pierce the skin of warm-blooded animals and suck out blood, which serves as food for these predators.

Horseflies or spiders

This group includes 3 dozen species of blood-sucking flies. They sting incredibly painfully and attack travelers aggressively, surrounding the person in a cloud. There are commonly encountered species, and there are more rare ones.

Red-whiskered horsefly or blinding lacewing (Chrysopsinae)

A large fly, almost 3 cm, we prefer areas near water bodies. Only females bite, sucking 0.2 ml at a time. They need biological fluid to lay eggs. Males have enough nectar from flowers.

The bullfly is 2 times larger than the previous biter.

“Sailor”, or deer horsefly, is small, striped, very vicious, bothering animals and people.

Horseflies find victims hundreds of meters away and flock together to feast. If people are driving in a car, then insects will fly into the open window, even if the car is moving 70 km/h! By attacking the driver, the pest can even provoke an accident. It will land on your face and other open areas, continuously stinging. And if you stop, then hundreds of flying flies cannot be driven out of the cabin or crushed.

Horseflies prefer black. This should be taken into account when choosing an outfit for a walk. They attack anything black, and if they fail to bite, they will leave a continuous layer of sticky excrement.

Healthy. It is better not to crush insects, as they will squirt viscous contents. It is better to tear off the head of the bloodsucker and give the dead insect to the ants for food.

Natural enemies regulate the size of natural populations.

Natural enemies of horse flies:

• birds that eat insects;
• predatory insects larger than horseflies (dragonflies);
• spiders that weave strong webs.

But they cannot destroy them, so travelers or farm owners will have to save themselves and their animals from the attacks of these flying vampires. Horses, cows or deer have only two ways to defend themselves: the tail or branches of bushes or trees. Therefore, pets should be protected using repellents.

Spreaders of diseases

During their bites, flies can transmit such terrible diseases as cholera and tuberculosis to the victim. Intestinal diseases of various forms, viral infections - this is just a short list of all the diseases that an ordinary fly can carry on its legs and trunk. By infecting sick animals, they are the first distributors of helminths, lamblia and other parasites.

Blood-sucking flies are the first among the distributors and carriers of eye infections, such as infectious conjunctivitis, trachoma, etc. When they bite a person with polio and bite the next victim, the parasites spread this virus for a long time.

Gadflies

Cute insects with a thick belly and fluffy abdomen are among the most dangerous to humans. There are species that resemble bumblebees or bees. The absence of a mouth does not make it helpless - they plant their brood in the body of the victim.

Although these insects do not even have a mouth, they also make an injection to lay their eggs under the skin of a warm-blooded animal. These parasites do not remain in the adult stage for long; the period is just enough to find a host and breadwinner for the future offspring. During treatment, you will have to remove the clutch of eggs by cutting off part of the skin or even muscles.

Gadflies of all types prefer to live in pastures. Their larvae are born, grow and feed in the body of an animal or human.

Stomach gadflies target horses, donkeys and people.

Representatives of the family Gasterophilidae are distributed everywhere, choosing the hairy part of the body or grass on which animals feed. This is how the larvae enter the body, the digestive tract. And as they mature, they come out through the skin or with feces.

If the eggs are laid on the skin, the larvae make painful and itchy tunnels throughout the body for almost 3 months. If the stomach is chewed out, the victim develops catarrhs.

Subcutaneous gadflies are known for gluing individual eggs to the hairs of the victim.

Newborn Hypodermatidae larvae crawl through the host's body, causing myiasis. Then they crawl out through the skin. In addition to creepy holes, holes on the body of the parasite carrier, there are cases when the larvae entered the victim’s brain, causing death.

Cavity flies attack sheep, goats or horses and donkeys.

There are many species that prefer certain prey animals. Representatives of the Oestridae family infect the selected animal in flight - they splash the larvae into the eyes, nostrils, then they live in the mucous membrane or right inside the eye. Growing, they move into the cavities of the head (sinuses, pharynx), causing myiasis.

Midges

These creatures resemble small flies. The consequences of their bites are quite painful. Itching, swelling and discomfort persist for a long time. This is explained by the fact that when a midge bites, it injects toxic saliva under the skin, which, by the way, can cause severe allergies.

To protect yourself from insects, you should wear tight-fitting clothing and a hat when outdoors. Use a mosquito net and treat it with repellent.

When a midge bites, the affected area is lubricated with an alcohol solution, iodine or brilliant green. This reduces the feeling of itching. In addition, you can use the same remedies that are recommended for mosquito bites. If an allergic reaction occurs, you must take an antihistamine and consult a doctor.

Tsetse fly

When getting acquainted with biting or blood-sucking flies, do not forget about the formidable African insect that carries sleeping sickness. Although the tsetse fly is not found in our country, it is still a formidable enemy of humans, since the disease is incurable.

Faded color, size up to 18 mm, long protruding proboscis plus wings that overlap each other when folded. Over the course of a year, tens of thousands of Africans and guests of the continent die from its bites.

Reasons why flies bite closer to autumn:

• due to the growing population, food becomes scarce;
• due to cold weather, food becomes scarce;
• More blood is needed before wintering and laying eggs.

How to prevent an attack?

To avoid fly bites, you must follow some recommendations:

• when going for a walk, treat clothes and exposed areas of the body with repellent;
• try to avoid places where flies are most likely to live (for example, in the case of the deer bloodsucker, these are swampy, shady areas deep in the forest, and the tsetse fly prefers thickets of tropical bushes).

To prevent flies from attacking your home, it is worth taking measures to destroy the insects. It can be:

• traps;
• insecticides;
• fumigators.

In order to protect your home from flies, you need to keep it clean and install mosquito nets on the windows.

Means of control and prevention

To defeat small, fast, voracious insects that exceed the prey in quantity and speed, a number of measures should be taken:

1. Airtightness of the room (mesh on windows, doors).
2. Use of adhesive tapes, insecticides, repellents.
3. Regular disinfection and use of folk remedies.

Proven folk remedies include the use of green repellers. These are wormwood, geranium, bird cherry, currant, tansy or castor bean. Plants can be planted around the house, indoors in flowerpots.

Ultrasonic repellers that are inaudible to people, wiping window frames with a vinegar solution and herbal decoctions help.

Mosquitoes

In the city, mosquito nets protect against these creatures, but in the countryside it is almost impossible to prevent their attacks. Mosquitoes are especially active near bodies of water, in the shade and at dusk. The consequences of their attack are manifested by swelling, redness and itching. The degree of reaction depends on the individual characteristics of the organism.

A mixture of water and baking soda reduces the itching sensation. You can treat the bite area with any product containing menthol (for example, toothpaste). It must be applied to a scarf and made a compress. You can wipe the affected area with a weak vinegar solution or wrap ice in a rag and apply it to the bite site. Cabbage leaves, mint leaves, plantain leaves, parsley decoction, and pieces of raw potatoes are recommended as folk remedies.

Autumn burner

Many people notice that by the end of summer the flies seem to become angrier. Now they are not only annoying with their buzzing and crawling over the body and food - they sting painfully. And many are interested in why flies bite in August.

People used to say: flies take revenge on people because they will see the next spring, and insects will die. But all this, of course, is a myth. It arose from simple ignorance. After all, people blame the bites of ordinary house flies, believing that for some reason they suddenly changed their eating habits.

But in fact, they incorrectly answer the question of why flies bite in August. It’s just that during this period the life cycle of a special type of fly begins, called flies.

These dipterans are extremely fertile. They leave their eggs everywhere, laying them many times during the season. Therefore, in August there are countless numbers of them flying. These insects bite painfully because they feed exclusively on blood, piercing the top layer of skin with their sharp proboscis.

These bites are not only painful. Burner flies are carriers of dangerous viruses and infections. Therefore, you should, if possible, protect yourself and your children from them: install protective nets on windows, use repellents while walking.