Deer flies anyone

[Wood Shed]

Having grown up and lived most of my life in North central Ohio (rural Ohio) and have actually lived in a woods for the last forty years, these pest are well known but recently seem to be on the decline.  I could tell the calendar date without looking at one in the spring as May 15th seemed to be the date when the first scourge would appear.  The warm humid days of summer seemed to just make them more vicious.  Have not seen a single one this year while gardening a lot more than usual.  Anyone else experiencing the same?

 

[moodnacreek]

It's a little early to tell here. When they bite they take a piece out of you and go over and sit on a stump and eat it!

[thecfarm]

I think them are the same critters my Father called sweat flies. Seem like they take a bite out of your shoulder blade. That's where your shirt is tight on you as you are bending over working.

[Unclefish]

Just started here about 2 days ago. I have been putting in pavers and blocks and seem to  get nailed by them. No see ums are bad here to about 7pm they get me.

[caveman]

They have been dealing misery here for the past couple of months.  They seem to know when one has both of his hands occupied because they really become enthusiastic little buggers then.  I'll keep the deer flies and mosquitoes and y'all can keep your ticks, deal?

[Wood Shed]

Maybe I spoke too soon as it did not warm up here till memorial day weekend.  Now the no see ums (I finally know what they are) have taken there place and I actually have a stronger longer lasting reaction to their bites.  Have been using some kid friendly natural bug spray called "Bug Band Tick Plus" that my daughter wants used on the grand kids, seems to work very well and does not smell bad either. 

[Chuck White]

We have a few deer flies in this area now, but when they really get bad is Jul/Aug!

[Magicman]

No deer flies but the gnats are bad and the horseflies are horrible. 

[69bronco]

Flying Teeth!

[PoginyHill]

Experienced my first bombardment yesterday in northern Vermont. No bites yet, just lots of kamikazes. I've been using head nets instead of bug spray to fend them off and suffer with long-sleeve t-shirts. Nets don't taste as bad when the sweat drips onto my lips. 

[51cub]

I saw my first in a long time a few days ago. Haven't seen any since but I don't miss them when they're gone

[dirtmotor]

 
The deer flys are just gettin started here , the dont bite me too much but they really bite my ...
 

[lxskllr]

Haven't had much problem with them the last few years or so. If they aren't too thick, raise one arm above your head. They go for the highest exposed skin. When they land on your raised arm, whack them with the other. Works for a few, but if there's too many, you'll spend all day with your arm up, looking like an idiot  :^D

[saskatchewanman]

Have a farm on a river near a large marsh. In the autumn in it my favorite place because of migrating waterfowl (snow geese by the thousands...likely hundreds of thousands!) but in the summer I don't go near it unless the wind is howling because of the deerflies and mosquitoes. The bugs can simply make life miserable.

[moodnacreek]

Black flys in the Adirondacks [where I trout fish] this spring where so bad you could here them. They put b.t. in the brooks up there. Back in the 80's they sprayed from airplanes. This killed just about all the mayflys.

[Ron Wenrich]

Its been a long time since I've seen a swarm of gnats.  Horseflies and deer flies haven't been around for years.  When I moved into my house 43 years ago, we had to have fly strips up to keep the house flies down.  We haven't used the strips in decades.  Mosquito populations is also down.  We had some bees last year, but none this year.  Even butterflies aren't as abundant.  We hardly have to clean bugs off the windshield anymore.  

The state does an aggressive black fly spraying of the major river area.  We've been using more aggressive pesticide sprays and other toxins, both residential and commercial.  They did a survey of insects in Germany in 2017 and found that insect populations have decreased by 75% in the past 30 yrs.  Correlation?

Add to that, the songbird population seems to be decreasing.  The only one increasing are starlings.  Last year was a first of not seeing a mockingbird.  They're back this year.  Not nearly as many sparrows and the juncos weren't as numerous in the fall and winter.  We used to have barn swallows, and they're now gone.  The last nest I saw didn't have any young.  They used to follow when I mowed my field.  

Just some observations from my tiny section of the world.

[Nebraska]

Gladly share my barn  swallow population. They follow along as I mow, I leave their nests alone unless they choose poorly.... ;)

[Stoneyacrefarm]

We have a huge barn swallow population here. 
I love watching them flying around. 
There are so many that if you leave a door open they fly in the house and make a few laps around before they leave. 
Black flies are everywhere along with the deer and horse flies. 
Chickens seem to be keeping the tick numbers down this year. 
Seems to be a correlation with the birds and bugs for sure. 

[lazyflee]

Our kamikaze face diving biting black flies just hatched here. I have a standing bet with anyone that could stand still for 1 minute naked, $100 to the victor! They seem to love biting me between my fingers, not pleasant. Thankfully they only last about a month. Outdoor work from sun up till about 9am then it's over.

[A-z farmer]

We have hundreds of the barn swallows and tree swallows on our farms here sucking up tons of bugs .The only thing i do not appreciate is all their poop the barn swallows leave on everything.

 

[Banjo picker]

We call them May flies, because they show up in May.  Haven't seen many this year, but if you want to check and see if there are any around, just saddle up your horse and ride through a shaded area.  They will congregate on the horses ears.  Banjo

[luap]

It is pretty obvious the bird population is tied to the insect population. We don't even see insect eating birds until it warms enough for the insects to come out. I put out and maintain lots of bird houses and the decline is noticeable in nesting pairs of blue birds and swallows. There is no commercial spraying of insects here that I am aware of. The barn swallows were especially numerous in my youth. The underside of bridges were filled with their nests.My brick chimney used to be occupied by chimney swifts but not any more. Nothing has changed there as we have had an owb for the last twenty years. There is a long list of other changes that have taken place. There is probably no single cause but lots of things taken together contribute to it. 

[mike_belben]

Weve got it all in middle TN. Lone star ticks, seed ticks, sweat bees, deer flies, black flies, pith ants, chiggers, asian tiger mosquito, every wood boring monster bee you can name and spiders up the wazoo. 

Im covered in bites and scabs all summer, but its worth it to keep the homeowners association far, far away. 

When this dies down we start the lady beetle invasion.  Tune up your vacuum cleaners. 

[Raider Bill]

Weve got it all in middle TN. Lone star ticks, seed ticks, sweat bees, deer flies, black flies, pith ants, chiggers, asian tiger mosquito, every wood boring monster bee you can name and spiders up the wazoo.

Im covered in bites and scabs all summer, but its worth it to keep the homeowners association far, far away.

When this dies down we start the lady beetle invasion.  Tune up your vacuum cleaners.

Don't forget stink bugs, Tank beetles and wasps.
People talk about the bugs in florida but floridas got nothing on Tennessee bugs.

[Stephen1]

The dragon flies showed up last monday to rescue us from the blackflies

[SwampDonkey]

Another gadget to deter the deer flies. Won't need one for a couple weeks though. 

Dragonfly wingman.

[rusticretreater]

In the Valley of Virginia they have every bug known to man.  I once drove through a cloud of gnats.  You could see where I went through them.  Car was covered in them.

I don't know what them bugs are carrying, but some of the welts last for weeks.  Its a battle during the summer because I try to get out of the sun, but the bugs do too.  I know now why them old fellers wore their overalls and big floppy hats.

I bought one of those backyard fogger machines.  You spray the area you want to work in and a few minutes later you can safely work in the area for awhile.  Somedays there is a slight breeze and its worthless.

[Texas Ranger]

Texas has all the bugs in this hemisphere, but the worse I had to fight were deer flys and buffalo gnats at the same.

[SwampDonkey]

Last year was the first time I saw deer flies come into a building after you. Usually only mosquitoes do that. Was building work benches in the new shop and then even putting in the stove. With the doors wide open them deer flies invaded. Funny you could walk around outside and only see 1 or 2 in yard. But going into the woods is a different story, there's 50 buzzing ya. Up this way by mid August the bugs are pretty much done chew'n.