Topic: anti bitey-fly planting :)

[Hector]

A friend is having real problems with small black biting flies. They bite her poor cats ears in the garden. She has heard that planting certain plants cant put them off? Any ideas?

[lincsyokel2]

Can you catch one and post a piccy ?

[Alex133]

There's a plant called Shoo-fly, quite pretty and you can grow from seed - whether it actually works is another matter.

[lincsyokel2]

I found this on a vet website:

Cause
The common stable fly is the most common cause, however, blackflies, deer flies, and houseflies can also bite.

General Information
Fly bites cause a common condition in outside dogs, often called "fly strike." It most frequently occurs in dogs that live near farms with livestock, and occurs when flies land on and bite the tips and top surface of the dog's ears. They may also bite the bridge of the nose. They are biting the dog to obtain a blood meal and the bite is often painful. Because of the thin skin and hair on the ears and the inability of the dog to defend his ears, flies will seek out this location. Some of these dogs will endure hundreds of bites a day for weeks at a time. Anyone that has ever been bitten by a stable fly knows how painful the bite is. If you see blood spots or flies congregating near your dog's ears then you can assume fly bites are occurring. The bite wounds attract flies which may lay their eggs in the damaged tissue. These will later hatch into maggots.

Cats are much less likely to acquire fly bites.

Toxic Dose
Not applicable

Signs
The ears, especially at the margins, will have painful bumps, sometimes with scabs or bleeding.

Immediate Action
Whether you live in the city or country, do not underestimate the pain that these flies can inflict and be sure to initiate treatment at the first sign of fly bites on your pet. Gently cleanse the ear with warm water and a mild antiseptic soap. Then, apply a topical antibiotic ointment which will help to control any infection which may be present. If the fly bites are severe, or maggots are present, veterinary attention is needed.

The most important treatment for this problem is prevention, which consists of applying a topical insecticide to the dog's ears. Pyrethrin or permethrin sprays and ointments are very effective in repelling flies. Homemade solutions made by adding DEET or pyrethrin to petroleum jelly also work well. Moving the pet indoors during the heat of the day also will help. Spraying the dog's outside living quarters will also help keep fly numbers to a minimum. Remove any materials which may attract flies, e.g., fecal material, uneaten pet food, garbage, etc. Keep your pet clean and well-groomed, removing any urine-soaked or fecal-contaminated hair.

[Hector]

These are titchy wee flies that swarm like midgies (except this is in Wales)?

[lincsyokel2]

These are titchy wee flies that swarm like midgies (except this is in Wales)?

The yellow fly, Diachlorus ferrugatus  (Fabricius), is known as a fierce biter in Florida. Like mosquitoes, it is the female fly that is responsible for inflicting a bite.

and

Female deer flies are vicious, painful biters. They feed on the blood of cattle, horses, mules, hogs, dogs, deer, other warmblooded animals, and even humans. These flies cut through the skin with their knife-like mouthparts and suck the blood for several minutes



Theres about 35 different species in the family, ranging from one inch to 6mm long.

.........deer flies or pine flies in the genus Chrysops, which are most of the species that readily attack people. Most deer flies attack people and pets around the head, neck and shoulders. Yellow flies usually attack the legs.........

[goodlife]

 ;D..that was very educational..well done  ;).. I've been 'eaten alive' with the bleeders and it hurts..
They really do take a chunk out of you and afterwards you get this huge itching bump on the biting site..unfortunately for me it takes ages to go down..and mosquito bites too.. ::)
When I go mushrooming to forrest in Finland I have to be covered from head to toe..and I use mosquito net over my face too..as if there is even one of these flies in whole forrest..it WILL find me and eat me .. ::) Now that is only just one sort of blood sucking insects..then there is others too.. ::) Things I do for 'few' mushrooms..

[lincsyokel2]

30 years ago, i used to go 'Live Wargaming', ie running round forests dressed as something out of Lord of the Rings, with a whole bunch of other looneys, hitting each other with dye soaked rubber swords. This was waaaaaaayy before paintballing was invented, we were the pioneers of it, along with several other groups, in the late 1970's/early 1980's

Mosquitos were a problem in autumn, in forests, we used to use a stuff called Jungle Formulae, it was good stuff but expensive. You rubbed it all over any exposed flesh, and you could run INTO a mossy cloud and they would all instantly scatter in all directions and fly away, they couldnt stand it.

I have several very amusing anecdotes of this activity, which are entirely off topic, but may regale you all with in another thread one day.    8)

[Robert_Brenchley]

I used to wear a stocking over my head to keep the midges at bay. One summer I tried using a mosquito spray and knackered the waterproofing on my tent.