They are among the least-pleasant summer visitors: deer flies
They are those dive-bombing, biting pests that thrive near wooded areas and wetlands, and torment many in Essex County each year.
They are persistent devils that attack over and over and over again as females (males don’t bite) must consume a blood meal to lay fertile eggs.
Unlike other biting pests, deer flies target the head and neck.
While the males are dining on nectar and pollen, the females will return and attack the same person until they succeed. Shooing them away only increases their fervor.
The female deer fly, about one-quarter inch long, has “blades” in her mouth that she uses to cut the skin. Once successful, she will then lap up the blood.
Wearing a hat does offer some protection, but the deer fly is then likely to attack your neck.
If you think you are more susceptible to attack while walking, you are. Deer flies prefer to attack a moving target.
A Recipe for Keeping Deer Flies at Bay
Make up a sticky hat to wear:
Take an old hat you don’t like, place 2” tape on top, preferably blue, and coat it with a very thin application of “Tanglefoot”. The deer flies get stuck on it when they land.