Good Afternoon,
Subject: Biting Flies.
Location: Gunpowder Archery Range in Chase, Md.
Occasionally, I walk the road next to the Archery Range. Sometimes it's just me and my dog. Sometimes its me, my mom, dad and their dog.
Twice this past week after 4pm I walked there with my dog.
The first time one fly swarmed me the entire walk, about 25min which made me end the walk early. I continuously moved my hands, in a swatting motion above my head as I walked, preventing it from landing to bite me.
The second time there were 2 flies swarming me. I did the same thing to prevent them from biting me.
Question:
Do sprays with Deet or Picardin keep biting flies away? I want a spray that will prevent them from swarming me while walking and enjoying nature and the outdoors.
Appreciate your time!
Personal repellent sprays for biting insects are usually effective on biting flies, yes, including DEET and Picaridin. Some flies that might be non-biting might still circle a person to investigate them (or to catch other insects that are drawn to the person). The repellent sprays for skin and clothing discourage the insects from landing on the person and biting; they won't necessarily keep those insects at a great distance, though, so they could still approach a person to investigate them. Biting insects use various cues to detect their hosts that a repellent spray won't necessarily interfere with, including body odor (normal human skin or breath odors, not necessarily sweat), carbon dioxide from our exhales, and body heat.
Miri
Thank you so much for educating me about these biting flies.
The biting flies were not out during walks in the winter, early spring and late fall at the same location.
Is time of day a factor or temperature a factor? Meaning, if I walk early morning or late evening when its cooler will the biting flies be less active?
Otherwise, I'm sad that I will no longer be able to enjoy walking near the Gunpowder Archery range due to the biting flies swarming my head during the entire walk.
Blessings, P.S. If i miss your call, please email me.
Tara
Yes, for some insects, activity peaks only at certain times of day or during certain weather/temperatures. Adults also don't always live very long, so the flies might not persist all summer. Insects need warmth to fly, though in summer, even early-morning temperatures are probably sufficient for them to take off. Still, if it's been a dewy evening, they'll need to dry off first, so that might help. In addition to personal repellent, you could also wear a head net if you feel that they are still landing or getting too annoyingly close to your face. Battery-powered personal fans can also help to keep nuisance bugs away from a person's face, but in this case the breeze from the fan won't be strong and probably can't discourage them from too far away because of that.
Miri
