Why do flies bite and is it possible to protect your pet from them!

Flies wake up in the spring, accompany us in the summer and even in the fall haunt. But if at first they pester only with their buzz, then from August they already bite. The popular opinion says that insects with the approach of autumn become evil, since they will soon die. However, this version, of course, has no confirmation, if only because insects cannot experience any feelings. So why do flies really bite?

Who and why bites us

Those flies that have been with us throughout the spring and summer are not capable of doing any harm. These are ordinary house flies with a soft proboscis, which is simply not intended to pierce hard skin integuments. Such insects feed exclusively on plant juices, fruits, waste products and plant debris, and are generally harmless.
And closer to the cool days, representatives of another species - lighters become especially active. It is these flies that bite in August. Outwardly, the lighter and the housefly are very similar, so they are constantly confused.

Lives habitats

Predatory flies live mainly on farms and pastures, where they bite cows, bulls and horses, since it is their blood that forms the basis of the diet. Farmers are doing their best get rid of the pestHowever, due to the high breeding rate, the flocks of carnivorous flies do not decrease.

On a note! The fly lighter is very prolific and can reproduce four generations of offspring over the summer!

Females make their masonry in compost and dung heaps, where the heat from decay helps the hatched larvae to develop successfully. Young growth leaves the egg after about 5 days, after 2-4 weeks the larvae turn into pupae, from which new flies appear after 1-4 weeks. And after 10 days, the young growth emerging from the pupae is already completely ready for breeding.

By the beginning of autumn, there are especially many flies of female lighters, so some of them fly away from farms and pastures in search of new sources of food. In addition, a gradual cooling forces us to look for their warm shelters, in which you can safely survive the approaching night frosts. As a result, they find themselves in residential buildings, where they attack a person. This is why flies bite in the fall.

Bite features

As mentioned above, in biology and morphology, the fly lighter is very similar to the housefly: the body length is about 6-7 mm, the integument is painted gray, dark stripes on the chest, dark gray spots on the abdomen. The main difference is the oral apparatus, which is represented in predators by a very elongated proboscis. At the end of this organ are hard chitin plates bent backward. They fly rubs the skin of his victim, scrapes off the epidermis layer and feeds on blood. In this case, she injects a poisonous secret, which leads to irritation. Because of this, a fly bite is quite painful.

In addition, flies flies are carriers of pathogens of many diseases, among the most dangerous:

• causative agents of staphylococcal infection;
• anthrax;
• tularemia;
• sepsis.

However, some diseases are zoonotic - common to animals and humans.

Pet protection

In most cases, biting lighters are just animals, not only cattle, but also some pets. For example, flies can gnaw on a dog’s ears, often very actively, but the owners do not know what to do to help their pet. Protecting your pet is quite simple. Some owners prefer to use folk remedies, in particular, solid oil. It has a strong repulsive odor and creates a protective oil film on the skin, which prevents the attack of flies and other insects. At night, solidol can be washed off with ordinary toilet soap and in the morning, if necessary, renew its layer.

Special factory sprays designed to scare away blood-sucking insects come to the aid of dog lovers. There are several drugs that are suitable not only for cattle, but also for dogs and even cats. Among them:

• "Mucocide." A repellent spray, in the composition of which the substance is present - diethyltoluamide. Camphor and menthol strengthen its action. It is used externally and provides a comfortable stay in nature, during hunting and walking in the forest, as well as in marshy areas. But if the animal gets wet in the rain or bathes in a pond, the drug stops.
  

  Important! Carefully read the instructions and follow the rules of application. Pay attention to the side effects: "Mukhotsid" is able to provoke an allergic reaction, urticaria, erythema and dermatitis, therefore, for dogs sensitive to the components of this product, it is extremely undesirable!

• Neostomozan. It destroys insects that parasitize animals, including dogs. To prepare the working solution, the emulsion must be diluted in water according to the instructions and used immediately. Dogs are moistened with wool and skin.

What else can you handle a dog from flies? As practice shows, in the fight against flying predators, “OFF” ointment brings excellent results. Only for protection against flies, it is advisable to use a remedy not from mosquitoes, but from horseflies and midges. The ointment is applied with an even thin layer on the skin, bypassing wounds and other problem areas. In addition, there is also a spray in the “OFF” line of drugs. If desired, you can use it, but only carefully so as not to get on the mucous membranes of the animal’s eyes.

And remember that if your dog is bitten by flies, then you should immediately seek a cure for them. Often insects cause very serious problems, nibbling the tips of the ears so hard that you have to heal these wounds in a veterinary clinic.