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Deer flies lay between 100 and 800 eggs on vegetation near water or dampness in batches. During the larval stage, which lasts one to three weeks, they feed on small creatures or rotting organic matter near or in the water. [ 3 ]
They are larger than the common housefly and smaller than the horse-fly. There are 250 species of deer fly in the genus Chrysops. Their distribution is worldwide, though they have not been reported in Iceland, Greenland, or Hawaii. [3] Deer flies lay between 100 and 800 eggs in batches on vegetation near water or dampness.
Red deer, elk (moose), roe deer, fallow deer, and Siberian musk deer are this fly's native hosts. In the United States, it has acquired hosts such as Canadian deer, white-tailed deer, and reindeer. [17] [18] There are stray records of bites on humans, dogs [21] and badger, and it will occasionally commit to the wrong host. [20]
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Deer flies in the genus Chrysops are up to 10 mm (0.4 in) long, have yellow to black bodies and striped abdomens, and membranous wings with dark patches. Horse-flies (genus Tabanus ) are larger, up to 25 mm (1 in) in length and are mostly dark brown or black, with dark eyes, often with a metallic sheen.
Gnats that bite, like deer flies or biting midges, are usually encountered outdoors and “use their mouthparts to puncture and cut a host’s skin, leaving behind symptoms such as itchiness ...
The bacterium is typically spread by ticks, deer flies, or contact with infected animals. [4] It may also be spread by drinking contaminated water or breathing in contaminated dust. [4] It does not spread directly between people. [8] Diagnosis is by blood tests or cultures of the infected site. [5] [9]
On the other end of the spectrum, horse flies and deer flies use "blade-like" mouthparts to slash the skin before eating the spilling blood, which causes large, painful bites, Frye says.