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Horse & Deer
Flies
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Large, biting flies that attack people and
livestock
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Summary: These large flies bite
people and livestock. Horse flies are serious
pests that can disrupt normal animal behavior
and even animal health. Both horse and deer flies
can be annoying and persistent pests of people, too.
Special horse fly traps are usually the best option to control these biting flies.
Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist (ret.)
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Horse and deer fly bites
Horse and deer flies are large flies
that bite people, livestock and wildlife. Bites can
be very painful but these flies do not transmit
disease in humans. Horse flies are more likely to
attack livestock, including horses, where their
persistent biting can adversely affect animal
health. People are generally more bothered by deer
flies but horse flies will also attack us, the
difference may be related to body size. Both
flies are active during daylight hours.
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Horse fly - about 3/4". Note
large eyes. Deer flies tend to be
smaller and more colorful.
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Horse flies are dark in color often
appearing almost black (above right) while deer
flies [picture of deer fly] are
somewhat smaller and more colorful. Both have very
large, prominent eyes which they use in
hunting for animal hosts. Both flies can be very
persistent and annoying when encountered and they are
relatively strong fliers so can follow a host animal,
or us, a long distance.
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Horse & deer flies need damp soil
Larvae of these flies develop in the moist
soil around bodies of freshwater so adults tend to
occur near water as well. Adults, however, are stong
fliers so they may occur some distance from their
breeding grounds.
How to avoid bites
It is almost impossible to treat the soil
around freshwater sources where horse and deer fly
larvae live so the best approach is to trap
adult flies and use insect repellent. Repellents containing DEET, and permethrin-based
fabric protectants work well for these annoying flies
(see Insect
Repellents for more information). Also see our
article about Sweet
Itch In Horses for a list of effective fly
repellents for horses.
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Do horse fly traps work?
Yes, horse flies are attracted to dark objects
that mimic the silhouette of an animal and there are a
number of non-insecticidal traps that incorporate dark
shapes that attract and capture these flies. One such
commercial trap, the Horse Pal Trap, is effective and
relatively easy to set up and move around in pastures.
Flies are attracted to the dark ball
suspended below the trap (right). Flies tend to fly
upward when they leave an object and so are trapped in
the pyramid netting and jar trap (jar not shown in
photo at right). One advantage of the this particular
design is the ease of moving it from place to place in
the field. Other trap designs are larger and more
difficult to move around. Horse and deer fly traps use
no pheromones or insecticides.
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Horse Pal trap. Image used with
permission. |
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insect and mite problems around your home, business
and landscape using least-toxic methods.
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