Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Vampire flies

wg48temp9 - 26-9-2020 at 07:24

When I was in central Florida if I got a slight scratch in my garden within a minute or two there would one or more small (about 1mm long) flies on the wound busily harvesting the blood or plasma. I was amazed by how quickly they arrived for their meal.

Today in the UK while loading the car a got what I thought was a scratch on the back of my hand that started to bleed. I few minutes later I noticed what looked like a small horsefly next to the wound. It was busily moving its proboscis round to suck up my blood. I have been bitten by horseflies several times particularly over this summer. Perhaps it was not a scratch but a bite from the horsefly.

Apparently in 2018 the UK was invaded by foreign horseflies and people have been calling them Vampire flies. They do like drinking blood.

https://www.scotsman.com/read-this/health-warning-issued-vam...

Morgan - 26-9-2020 at 09:08

We have these that sometimes send you running certain times of the year in the woods and hiking trails at the university near me.

"It is one of the few tabanids that attacks indoors."
http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/livestock/yellow_fly.htm...
How to fight back ...
https://www.waltonoutdoors.com/yellow-flies-are-back/

[Edited on 26-9-2020 by Morgan]

Chemorg42 - 26-9-2020 at 12:07

"Vampire Flies."
Sounds like the title of a 50s B movie.
;)