Horsefly

Family: Tabanidae.

Status: No special status.

Size: ½ inch to 1inch.

Diet: Omnivore.

Characteristics: Social, active by day.

Area: Worldwide.

Offspring: 100 to 1,000 eggs.

Trivia:

· There are more than 3,000 species of horseflies worldwide.

· They are sometimes called gadflies or greenheads.

· Deer flies are related to horseflies and can transmit tularemia, anthrax, and other diseases to mammals, including humans.

· Horseflies can fly at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.

Lifestyle

Female horseflies are painful biters who pierce the skin of many types of mammals to feed on the blood, often leaving an open wound. They drink up to three ounces of blood at a time from one person or animal. They often are found in swarms, and as many as 500 of them have attacked one cow at one time. During the warm, humid season when these flies are in abundance, farmers have to leave their work until after dark, when it’s cooler and the flies have gone to rest. Male horseflies are larger and don’t feed from animals, but eat the nectar of flowers or plant sap instead. They’re impressive flyers who can hover in one place or quickly zoom off on the spur of the moment. Horseflies are immune to chemical sprays and are controlled instead by draining or oiling breeding places. Horse fly larvae have venom that they inject into their prey, usually the larvae of other insects, but also other horse fly larvae. The venom immobilizes the prey almost immediately. The bite of the larva is as painful as that of the adult horsefly.

Territory

Horseflies are found worldwide, and have resting places in wooded areas or dense grass, as well as cattails.

Reproduction

In the summer, female horseflies lay egg masses on top of plants near water. After hatching, the larvae either make their way to moist soil or drop into the water. At this stage, they’re carnivorous and feed mostly on insects and worms. In cooler regions, they hibernate during the winter months, and develp into the pupal stage in spring, becoming adults by June. Horseflies live from 3 weeks to two years, depending on the species and location.