Subscribe to RSSArchive for the ‘Flies’ Category
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Deer fly head
Deer fly (Chrysons calens) head
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Deer fly head (Chrysops sp.)
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Horse fly head (Tabanus sp.)
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Video: Phorid fly and Solenopsis geminata
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Black fly
For about 2 weeks beginning in mid-April, reports of “gnats” have been received from the Navasota and Bryan/College Station area. Other people have reported mosquitoes that are biting people during the day – particularly around the neck and head, and leaving persistently itchy swollen areas at the site of the bites. The actual culprits have [...]
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Black fly
For about 2 weeks beginning in mid-April, reports of “gnats” have been received from the Navasota and Bryan/College Station area. Other people have reported mosquitoes that are biting people during the day – particularly around the neck and head, and leaving persistently itchy swollen areas at the site of the bites. The actual culprits have [...]
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Blackfly
Adult flies are small (1-5 mm) and vary in color by species, usually being black or gray, light tan or yellow. Adults are typically robust with a characteristic arched or humped back (prothorax) giving rise to the common name, “buffalo gnat.” Blackfly species are common along fast moving rivers at certain times of the year, [...]
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A phorid fly’s approach landing
A phorid fly approaches a fire ant for landing. Photo courtesy of Sanford Porter, USDA. Read more about Pseudacteon phorid flies and fire ants at eXtension.org.
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Decapitating phorid flies
Female phorid flies lay eggs inside fire ants. The egg grows into a larva inside the fire ant and eventually moves to the fire ant’s head, where it eats the fire ant’s “brain.” Eventually the fly larva makes the fire ant’s head fall off, hatches into a baby fly and leaves the fire ant’s head. Read [...]
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Phorid fly
Phorid flies like Pseudacteon curvatus parasitize and kill fire ants. Introducing or conserving the natural enemies (diseases, parasites and predators) of imported fire ants can help control them. These natural enemies kill fire ants or make them less able to compete with other ant species. The most effective biological control organisms for large-scale programs are [...]
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Phorid fly
Fire ants and phorid fly. Photo by Larry Gilbert.
