Subject: Re: HELP! Buffalo gnats!

From: Kenelm Philip <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 13:59:04 -0800

According to Borrer & DeLong, 'buffalo gnat' is an alternative name
for that well-beloved pest the black fly (Simuliidae). To quote from Borrer
& DeLong: "Black fly larvae occur in streams, where they attach to stones
and other objects by means of a disclike sucker at the posterior end of the
body....These larvae are sometimes extremely abundant. The adults are most
frequently encountered near the streams where the larvae occur, but may
occur at considerable distances from streams." Another comment from the
same book: "Black flies sometimes attack livestock in such numbers and with
such ferocity as to cause the death of the livestock, and there are reports
of human deaths caused by these insects."
        I believe that the larvae require well-oxygenated streams, not
sluggish ones. The adults are noted for their ability to crawl under clothing
before biting. I have worked in intense black fly swarms in NE Russia, and
the only effective protection was a combination of liberal application of
DEET on hands and face, combined with a fine mesh anorak with elastic cuffs
and elastic around the face opening, and one's pants tucked into one's socks.
Even then I kept inhaling them...
        Since the black flies don't breed in your horse stalls, nothing you
do there will reduce their numbers. You might check local fast-running
streams for the larvae. I do not know if any of the standard anti-mosquito
treatments for horses will repel black flies...

                                                        Ken Philip
[email-masked]