Biting Flies

[vancheese]

Hi People

This year has been particularly wet for me and as a result I've 1000s of biting flies on my farm. This has become a real problem as I can't work in the garden without being completely covered from head to toe and then I last about an hour before the biting to the face becomes unbearable. What can I do? Is the only option to spray pesticide or will this go away soon? Is there any thing I can do which is a bit more natural?

Andy

[Green Aura]

Bog myrtle (Myrtica gale) is good for keeping away mosquitos and the flies we get round here. I use the essential oil in in sunscreen, moisturiser or just some veg oil and apply it anywhere exposed.

Lemony smelling oils are good too, like citronella etc but they can be photosensitising to your skin so can only be used in very small amounts.

[greenorelse]

Biting flies can be put off (as GA says) but pesticide - apart from not being a good idea to start with - will have little effect. They can survive most, as far as I know. And any they don't survive, you might not either...

Try eating lots of garlic. It could work, give it a whirl.

Try some of these solutions: http://www.showhorsepromotions.com/horseflies.htm

You can make (or buy a cheap one or an expensive one) a device which will attract them. It's basically a big, swinging black ball hanging under a canopy. The ball gets warm; the flies see infra-red so they investigate, crawl over the surface of the ball and then get fed up and fly upwards into the canopy which has a clever hole in the middle leading to a trap. Mine's a cone of mesh inside a clear plastic bottle.

Since using this trap, I've only been bitten once or twice. Before I was being bitten horrendously; these creatures land on you but you can't feel them till they bite.

The trap catches some beneficial insects but surprisingly few. When the bottle starts filling, I empty the contents onto the compost heap.

[Mrs Moustoir]

We get the same problem here in Brittany to a lesser extent. I've bought some wristbands which are supposed to deter the bugs. I bought them in our local destockage and the active ingredient is "geraniol" which is also what citronella contains. The blurb suggests that you can wear them as both wrist and ankle bands to repel the little blighters - they are aimed at campers.

We get horseflies and "auotats" (harvest mites/chiggers) here and I hate cutting the grass this time of year so I'm hoping these bands will help keep them at bay...will still be wearing the wellies though as the harvest mites are EVIL!

[Millymollymandy]

Gosh wellies don't stop my harvest mites Mrs M. They can climb.

I just spend all summer covered in Jungle Formula, but even spraying the damn stuff in my hair doesn't stop the year round midges from biting my head.

[niknik]

I dont actually know what they really are, but we get a very small white /translucent, vicious biting fly/mosquito here..... they get referred to as "flying teeth". They are practically invisible. I have felt my hand being bitten,
as I was looking at it, and could see nothing!

They are vicious evil little b******* and they seem to love me!
and worse at night, in fact I think they only seem to come out at dusk, except it´s not "out" that´s the problem!

I have to wear more clothes at night!r...long sleeved top, and full length PJs.and socks..


I have this morning.. a lovely "bracelet", on my forewarm, where the sleeve rode up and they munched away, welts all round.

Think I need some long sleeved gloves now...and a scarf round neck..and a veil!

[vancheese]

I must admit the bee-keeper look is very tempting here :)

I hope Bugs don't get up at 5am on saturdays so I can work in the garden

[Millymollymandy]

There is something to be said for remaining in the UK (OK maybe not Scotland with its midges).

[vancheese]

Oh yes! But here in hungary it is legal to produce at home tax-free 50l of hard spirits per annum :)
It does help with the sorrow :)

[Millymollymandy]

Well that's obviously the problem - you have bugs which like bloody marys so they are just taking it ready mixed from your body.

[niknik]

I must admit the bee-keeper look is very tempting here :)

I hope Bugs don't get up at 5am on saturdays so I can work in the garden

[vancheese]

The 5am start means that it also might be a pleasant temperature, it is about 36°C atm and it is 3pm

[vancheese]

Survived the work - It was about 20°C at 5am - I did get bitten through a long sleeved T-shirt and another one underneath!
However, the grass cutting has dramatically reduced the fly density!

[Andy Hamilton]

Attract some birds?

On a smaller scale in my house I use carnivorous plants, I wonder if you could set up some bog plants somewhere and if that might help.

[sleepyowl]

Pelargoniums are used to keep flies away too