Yellow Flies!

[Rich Z]

Yeah, it's their season again. Teeth on wings. They are literally a pain in the neck, or anywhere else they can bite your bare skin. Most have an uncanny knack of knowing when both of your hands are full and you can't take a swipe at them. Climbing up a ladder trying to hold on with both hands is a sure method of attracting them as well. Having a car washing mit on your left hand and a yellow fly biting on your right shoulder probably looks pretty comical from a distance.....

Here in north Florida, the sign for yellow flies to emerge is when the black berries are ripening. Probably nothing to do at all with blackberries, but it's been pretty consistent to expect their attacks when you see the berries are ripe.

Here's a couple of more technical links about them:

http://www.santarosa.fl.gov/extensio...ies061303.html

http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/livestock/yellow_fly.htm

Just a note here that the Mosquito Magnets I have around here seem fairly effective at attracting them. But they seem to be attracted to motion, so possibly an addition to the traps of something moving would help their catch rate significantly.

In any event, these pests can make doing anything outside rather uncomfortable and even painful. That being said, there are few things more satisfying than finally smacking one of these suckers that has been harassing the hell out of you for the last 15 minutes and stomping on them when they hit the ground. One technique I have found rather helpful in nailing these suckers is to just wait them out when they land on you. At first they are ready to take flight, but if you just wait them out till they lower their head to bite, you can usually easily smack them silly. They are pretty tough, so don't think you killed it with a single swat. They are probably just stunned and will be back when they recover unless you give them the coupe de grace when they hit the ground.

[C5Rick]

I've only been in Florida a 5 years and I don't recall these ugly looking these. I will admit the last two years there hasn't been as much time outdoors.
Did have some fresh blackberry cobbler last week though.

[ynkedad]

Morning Rich,
We don't seem to have a problem with them much around here . I'm sure they exist in this area though.
I was just speaking to my mom yesterday about the larger than normal population of regular flies around here this year. Wow they're everywhere it seems!
BTW..I hung a fly trap in the barn and when I went to check on it (to see how it was doing) I found very few flies, but did find a lot of BIRD FEATHERS. Whoops!!!
Thank goodness these flies aren't the biting sort!!!

~Ray

[gmjunkie]

Originally Posted by ynkedad

Morning Rich,
We don't seem to have a problem with them much around here . I'm sure they exist in this area though.
I was just speaking to my mom yesterday about the larger than normal population of regular flies around here this year. Wow they're everywhere it seems!
BTW..I hung a fly trap in the barn and when I went to check on it (to see how it was doing) I found very few flies, but did find a lot of BIRD FEATHERS. Whoops!!!
Thank goodness these flies aren't the biting sort!!!

~Ray

You otta live out here in the marsh,they've been known to eat small children and dogs!!!!

[CHASZ51]

Where i hunted in Levy county we called them deer flys, they would always buzz around my ears and pack a nasty bite!

Even here in Pasco county where i live on the gulf i will get a deer fly buzzing around me. Seems they like hot still humid days, and seem more active in the late afternoon.

[Rebekah7155]

Gaaaaaaaa I don't miss those nasty things. Fortunately we don't get them down here. The first time I took my husband to my Mom's in Panama City he was stupefied by the nasty things. By far the nastiest most painful itchy welty bite. My Mom does something with painting a beach ball black and hangs it near her front door that is supposed to keep them from trying to get in the house.

[C5Rick]

I'm originally from NE Ohio and the "Deer Flys" there where on the black side, but still ooouch.

[Rich Z]

Yeah, had my share of deer flies. Worst I ever saw them was up in New Jersey when I would be out in the woods looking for snakes. The flies were so thick they could almost grab you and carry you off. Insect repellents acted merely as flavoring to them.

Of course, down in the Everglades, I have seen deer flies that would take a half dollar for them to comfortably sit on. Body lengths for some deer flies can be around 1 1/4 inch!! Never been bitten by one of those monsters and really hope that never happens!

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef511.asp

The black flies on the beaches seem to be a different animal from what we see inland. The inland ones just like to annoy you, but the beach variety will bite.

[C5Rick]

Again, up north we called the big ones Horse Flys.

[85vette]

Yellow Flies and Sand Gnats are why our area of Florida is so sparsley populated....no one traveling through here wanted to stay once they were accosted by these evil creatures! If we could breed enough of these dasterdly insects and ship them to Iraq and Afghanistan we might arrange for an unconditional surrender.
A few years ago a friend and I went to the St. Marks Lighthouse to fish the channel. We got out and got our gear (both of us had our hands full of 60 quart cooler full of ice and our fishing poles and such) and made a run for the water, about 200 yards or so. Looking back, it's funny now, but those Yellow Flies were ALL over us! We must have looked hilarious trying to run and swat the flies with fishing rods and buckets. If we had another hundred yards to go we might not have made it due to the blood loss. Funny, once you get out to the actual waterline they go away. Must be the salt in the air?