Enormous Biting Flies Set Sights On Texas

If you have seen more than usual amounts of horseflies in Texas this year, rainfall before and during the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl is to blame. They usually go unseen unless you live on a farm, but they are still cropping up all over the state.

All that rain gifted us so many of these biting nuances that you might have seen them in your Texas home this year. If you saw a giant fly, that was a horsefly.

Unlike flies that won't stay off of your food at picnics, these enormous flies have a taste for blood. The female fly bites and then laps up the blood that pools around the bite.

Uptick In Horseflies Has Been Going On For Months

The surge in horseflies puts livestock and humans at risk as their numbers increased over the summer according to agrilifetoday.com. Just because they have the name Horseflies, doesn't mean they won't munch on us humans in a pinch.

The female horsefly bites for the same reasons that mosquitos bite us. They need your blood for egg production and are relentless.

They don't have a tiny needle-like mouth that you barely feel like a mosquito. They cut into the host's skin with knife-like mouthparts.

We Have No Defense Against Horseflies In Texas

Once horseflies have infested an area, there isn't much you can do to get rid of them. They use their big eyes to hunt, so ranchers have made traps out of big black balls to mimic the belly of a horse.

If you see a horsefly, get out your flyswatter. At least they are bigger and slower than the average fly.

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In Texas, we have over 100 species of horse and deer flies, some over an inch long.

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