Horseflies attack, midges to return: tips for Novosibirsk

Horseflies are large blood-sucking insects that inflict quite painful bites. Alexei Yanovsky, a Candidate of Biological Sciences from Novosibirsk, explained the dangers they can pose and how to protect against them. He also noted that midges may soon become active again in the region.

Two species of horseflies bite people most often. The ox horsefly is the largest of all horsefly species found in Novosibirsk Region, roughly the size of a hornet. The second species, the rain horsefly, is about the size of a small fly.

“Several other medium-sized horsefly species also attack people. These are the so-called deer horseflies. It is the rain horseflies that most often bother Novosibirsk residents at their dachas (country houses) and on beaches. They are the most persistent and biting,” the specialist explains.

According to him, horsefly bites are particularly painful because the insects do not pierce the skin as mosquitoes do, but literally cut it in order to begin drinking blood from the small wound that appears. Yanovsky added that when biting, horseflies can sometimes introduce tularemia pathogens under the skin, and in southern regions also larvae of parasitic worms.

There are not many means of protection against the insect. The expert noted that only clothing made of sufficiently thick fabric can help. Smoke from a campfire also repels horseflies.

Yanovsky also spoke about what has happened to the midge population in the region: it has decreased because of the recent downpours — the insects may have been killed by large raindrops. At the same time, according to the expert, we should soon expect the appearance of a “new generation” of midges.

Earlier, NGS reported on why the number of people affected by ticks in Novosibirsk Region has decreased.