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One thing we've heard a lot of lately: "Ugh! The flies are so bad here!" 

Indeed, it has been a pretty terrible season of late for both deer flies and horse flies in the Northwoods. Both are members of the Tabanid family of flies in which females search out bloodmeals in order to successfully reproduce. These types of flies are found in wetland areas like swamps, marshes, and streambanks, but they can also be found along forest edges or open areas so…pretty much everywhere up here. 

 

The difference between deer flies and horse flies is primarily size (horse flies are larger) and coloration (deer flies can be striped with black and yellow, horse flies are usually more of a grey-black). 

 

The two different types of flies are similar in that they are both quite annoying and can, at times, be quite literally a pain! The females have blade-like mouthparts that stab repeatedly, drawing blood to the surface. The female then laps up the blood with a different mouth part that resembles a small sponge. Ewwwwwwww!

 

If you're like pretty much everyone, and don't want flies to ruin your day outside, here are some tips you can follow to reduce your chances of getting harassed and bitten:

 

Stay calm: these types of flies are "ambush" pests, meaning they'll sit and wait until they see motion to pursue their bloodmeal aka you. Doing things like swatting and running might make you think you're keeping the flies at bay, but when you're doing those things, you might as well be waving a giant flag that says "Look at me! Look at me!" to the flies.

 

Beware of what you wear: you can do the typical things like use an insect repellent containing DEET, and to protect your skin wear long sleeves and pants in addition to a hat. Did you know that deer flies are attracted to the color blue? When you go out in the field, try wearing colors other than bright blues.

 

Construct a trap: On second thought, maybe you want to wear that blue after all. You can find some crafty DIYers on the Internet who suggest wearing a blue hat with a sticky substance to collect all the deer flies (you've probably noticed, they like to buzz higher up, around their victims' heads). See below for a couple of ideas on traps you can try out:

• Simple Deer Fly patch: you can find these patches that you stick on the back of your hats, that is essentially a giant sticker that catches and eliminates any flies buzzing around your head. Check out the Hiker Box near Trees For Tomorrow in Eagle River for these - they have these in stock, and they've gotten great reviews!

 

Simple deer fly sticky patches attached to the back of a hat appear to be effective traps

• Full coverage hat: for this option, it's helpful to have a blue hat to attract the deer flies.  After obtaining said hat, cover it with a product called "Tree Tanglefoot" which can be found at many gardening stores (apparently it's primary use is to prevent insect pests from climbing up trees).  Next, you'll want to smear the tanglefoot all over the hat (preferably with a gloved hand- the goop is really sticky!).  Next, enjoy not being bothered by deer flies on your hike!  Note- it is recommended to cover your hat with packing tape BEFORE applying tanglefoot- that way you can remove the fly carcasses and goop, and still keep your hat! 

Apply Tree Tanglefoot to a hat (preferably blue)- make sure you wear gloves!!!

• "Fancy" hat trap: if you don't feel like covering your entire hat with goop, you can also try this method of sticking a classy plastic blue cup on the crown of your hat, and covering that with tanglefoot instead. Since flies like to buzz around and bite at the highest point on an animal, this makes sense and should work, even though it looks a bit silly. Pro tip: use this method if you want both flies and people to avoid you.

 "Fancy" hat trap/Cup hat trap- the flies will swarm the cup, instead of your head!

• Roaming fly trap: if your property is inundated with flies, you can try this method as well. Take a small or medium-sized planter, and paint it bright blue. Proceed to mount it on a dowel rod, stick, or other pole so it is 6-8 feet off the ground. You can try mounting it on the back of an ATV or riding lawn mower, or on the back of a vehicle, and then drive around as best as you can collecting flies! That should make a dent in the population!  If you are an avid cyclist, you could also try rigging up something like this on the back of your bike to see if that helps keep the flies away from you as you bike!  Remember though, since flies are attracted by movement, the trap must be moving through space; stationary blue traps won't be nearly as effective.

   

Roaming or trolling deer fly traps can be mounted on many different types of vehicles.  You can either use cups or blue-painted planters covered with tanglefoot as traps. 

Hopefully we won't have to worry about flies too much longer. They breed in June and July, so as their breeding period wanes, their thirst for blood should go along with it as we head into the fall! 

 

By Kim Feller, TFT Education Manager