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/extension/documents/articles/yellowflies061303.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.
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/extension/documents/articles/yellowflies061303.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.
