Horsefly larva as one of the stages of development of an insect

Horsefly is a family of dipterans insects distributed around the world except for its remote corners. The main task of this living creature is to leave offspring after itself. Active reproduction of large flies occurs in the warm season when, when the female lays eggs. Soon the grub horse grub appears. What is she and should she be feared?

Larva - one of the stages of development

The development of any kind of horseflies, like the other two-winged insects, goes through 4 phases:

• eggs, which is part of a large masonry;
• larvae;
• pupae;
• adults - adult flies, which can later participate in the reproduction of offspring.

Soon after mating, which usually occurs in warm weather, the female needs to eat animal blood. Human blood will come in handy. After 3-5 days, the individual lays eggs, from which larvae will appear very soon.

Place for masonry and hatching larvae

All that is needed for young offspring of bloodsucking flies is an adequate air temperature, the presence of life-giving moisture and abundant food. Larvae left without food can easily die. Therefore, a caring female is looking for an optimal place for development, giving preference to wetlands, the shores of natural and artificial reservoirs.

Horseflies do not lay larvae under the skin of mammals. This is done by their "relatives" - gadflies.

Then comes the time for the birth of eggs. This occurs in May or during the summer months when the weather is warm enough so that the offspring do not die due to the cold. The female sits on plants and lays her eggs on the lower surface of leaf plates or stems. To do this, she makes movements with the end of the abdomen back and forth.
Female individuals of most species of horseflies in the genitals have special adnexal glands that can secrete a substance special for creating clutches. It has sticky properties, leaves the oviduct and allows the eggs to stick to the surface of plants. When the first layer is created, on top of it the female gradually glues the subsequent rows so that the structure does not fall apart. This usually occurs diagonally with respect to the leaf or stems. The result of such an activity is a compact and durable bunch of eggs, scientifically called a cluster. Its size and shape depends on the type of horsefly.

The female lays the entire cluster for 1 time, and it usually contains from 400 to 600 eggs. Particularly prolific species leave up to 1000 pieces. The eggs themselves immediately after the appearance are painted in white or pale milk color. After a few hours, they begin to gradually darken, eventually becoming black or brown-brown.

It takes from 3 to 8 days for the larvae to appear from the masonry, on average - 6. When the time comes to light, the larva uses a special sharp spike that punctures the egg shell. After that, it falls to the ground or into the water (it depends on where exactly the female laid the masonry). Then the individuals creep in search of food. Cohabitation is unusual for them.

Under bad weather conditions (low air temperature, cold wind), the process of the emergence of larvae in the light can take up to 3-4 weeks.

The appearance of horsefly larvae

The horsefly larva has a long spindle-shaped body. The color depends on the species: it is usually brown in various shades, sometimes beige and yellowish. The body is divided into 12 pronounced segments. On their borders there are thickenings in the form of a roller or growths similar to warts. They need larvae to move, because they have no legs. Small bristles also help them move. Such adaptations are a feature of the family and are absent in other diptera insects. The growths are called pseudopodia.

The last segment of the body has the shape of a cone. It ends with the stigma, or spiracles, which are necessary for young larvae to receive oxygen. These openings are a single vertical slot opening outward if necessary. Between the first and second segments on the lateral surface of the body there is also a pair of anterior spiracles, greatly reduced in size compared with the posterior ones. You can consider them only with an increase.

The head of the larva is small and slightly elongated. She has a pair of black eyes, her upper lip in the shape of a hook. The upper jaws are curved and thin enough, while the lower jaws have a soft structure. Larvae have tentacles located below the head and short antennae, which help in finding food.

The larvae of most species of horseflies live in stagnant water, where they are not demolished by a strong current. For example, in Tabanus (bull flies) they can swim superbly on the surface. In the gold-eyed eye, the larva immediately after hatching from the egg goes to the bottom of the reservoir, where it burrows into the bottom soil or silt.

In the climate of the middle band, horseflies have time to produce only 1 generation of larvae. In tropical countries, these insects manage to do this up to several times.

Larvae feeding

For constant growth and a set of nutrients for further transformation into a chrysalis, the larvae need a lot of food. Mostly they are predators eating small invertebrates that live in water or soil.

Larvae always keep alone, actively use their antennae and tentacles located on the lower jaws. In the absence of food of animal origin, future horseflies are not disdained with plant food, eating half-decomposed remains of plants and algae. Horsefly larvae are both predators and saprophages at the same time.

But the larvae themselves become prey. For example, for birds and fish. Sometimes fungi and worms parasitize on them, which leads to death.

Larval development

By the beginning of autumn, the larva becomes only half ready for the further stage of development. Therefore, it remains to winter in this phase. The transformation will end only in the spring, along with the establishment of warm weather. For all being in the larval stage, the future horsefly makes 6 molts. When it comes time to turn into a chrysalis, the larva gets out onto the soil and crawls into a drier place.

The difference between horsefly larvae and gadfly larvae: why do people confuse these insects

Both horsefly and gadfly annoy a person. In addition, these insects are similar to each other in appearance, and the inexperienced eye will not be able to distinguish them from each other. But horseflies are blood-sucking insects, while gadflies are livestock parasites that attack to lay eggs in the victim’s body. Therefore, horsefly larvae in humans and warm-blooded animals do not live.

The only harm caused by these insects is the painful bites of the females. Horseflies lay eggs on plants, so the question of how to remove the horsefly larva is incorrect. This, most likely, is about gadfly larvae.