The biting flies are known as "Bremsen" here. The Swiss children song writer Michael Bond wrote a catchy song about the nasty blighters
The red bug spray does absolutely nothing for me! I got bitten five times in one night last week...they crept in while i was sleeping
Bremsen flies, or Taons in French, are definitely NOT the same thing as stable flies. Bremsen/taons have a spotty/stripy body- and tend to be by water, and as said above, tend to go for wet bodies- their bites itch like mad and leave a mark. Stable flies are smaller, and look just like normal flies- they hurt when they bite, but leave no mark and no itch.
Did you also spray UNDER your bed ? if not, this is it
Did you also spray your hair with it ?
Interesting but what is the English word for Bremsen (or "Bräämä" as they are called in Swiss-German) ?
Horse fly.
Let me repeat it: Bremsen , in Swiss German Breemä / Bräämä , are horse-flies. They do bite, and the bites cause a swelling and hurt for quite a while. But it's easy to tell the difference between a house fly and a horse-fly, even at first glance. Stable flies, however, are real house fly look-alikes, but unlike house flies, they bite. In German they are called Wadenstecher or Wadenbeisser (calf biters, meaning the leg, not the cattle). As Odile correctly stated, their bite marks are real tiny, and the pain is very brief.
Take at look at this , this , and this , and if that is not enough, click the German link on each of those pages. Things are very simple and clear, and the matter actually was settled with Paddy's post #4.
I'm laughing...but this could be serious
Shutting the window and turning on the fan solved my problem
Sorry to bump an old thread, but these little beasties have been attacking me in our home all day. Never seen them before but I already hate them. Anyone else having problems? Are they often around when livestock are? I ask because the sheep are busy mowing the grass at the school across the street and also at a farmer's lawn just down the street...
eugh I just got bitten by a horse fly while running by the Sihl. First time I've ever been made aware of them ! and yes i was all wet from the rain and sweaty from running, good to know.