Last weekend lazing around the house, we kept getting stung by what looked like a normal fly. Yes I know the big "horse-flies" bite/sting, especially down at the rivers. But I have never ever experienced being bitten by a little ordinary looking fly.
Is this something new on the scene?
I`ve been here 6 years, and this is the first time for this type of thing!
They do mostly seem to strike in high humidity and hurt like the blazes when they do. I've had really bad reactions to their bites and have found that they can even bite through light clothing.
I had the bad reactions I think, because I have pretty fast reflexes and manage to smack them in modus operandi and guess they spew extra poison on their sudden demise. .
They never bother me if I spray some anti-brumm on though, even the green one is enough to deter them, good stuff I say.
Clay flies are another species of horse fly. Instead of biting you once they keep coming back for more. ALso, its the females that bite and tend to hide until their prey comes along. The worse thing is you don't feel them
So ... those flies don`t have the means to bite ... they puke and suck....
These other little ones .. BITE.
Ja, last weekend was hot and muggy here and I was sweaty from working in the garden .... I think they were attracted by my sweaty-ness....?
The horse-flies, down at the river ... they only seem to bite when one`s skin is wet. Dry off and they don`t bother one anymore.
Paddy is right, stable flies can easily be mistaken for house flies, but they bite because they have a piercing and sucking mouthpiece instead of an articulate sponging labium. In Switzerland, when you think it's just a house fly but it bites you, it most likely is a stable fly.
The family I'm living with here are under the same misconception.
When a horsefly bites, it stings like hell (similar to wasp sting).
Edit: in fact, "articulate sponging" is indeed a genuine Googlewhack!
They are about the size of a housefly, but a bit leaner - thinner and slightly longer.
They are often around water (swimming pool in garden is favourite).
My experience is that the "bite" itself doesn't hurt, but there is an itch reaction, for a short while - but it soon passes.
However this may not be what the OP meant, as I have also had the occasional nip, in the past, by what appeared to be a common housefly - a little nip, but nothing afterwards.
Power mower fly????