A bite that's quite painful

I photographed this horsefly in a meadow surrounded by woods. There couldn't have been a horse anywhere close to where I was, but no matter. Horseflies do not bite only horses. Any mammal will do. The horsefly is a distant relative of the mosquito, and both look for an easy meal of blood.

The horsefly bite is immediately painful. If bitten, you may think you have been stung by a wasp. Sometimes a horsefly will buzz around you in circles and land on your head or back. Your attempt to wave it away may not work, but if you can touch it while it is attacking you it will probably leave. If one lands in a place where you can slap it, the best method is to move your hand slowly toward and then slightly away, repeating the movement three times, each time getting a little closer before making a quick slap. Another method is to ready for the slap, watching for the horsefly to move its head and front legs. Just before the horsefly bites it will move its front-end making it more likely your slap will succeed.

There are more than 1,000 kinds of horseflies throughout most of the world and some -- like this one -- have colorful psychedelic lines across their eyes. Horseflies are known to pollinate some flowers. If you see a horse constantly switching its tail, it is probably being bothered by several horseflies. Horses will often let a person slap horseflies off them. I have caught horseflies this way, pinched their wings half off before collecting them in a jar. This helps the horse by ridding it of the bloodsucking flies, and even after being kept frozen in the jar, the horseflies are good panfish bait for a later fishing trip.

Through the Woods is a weekly nature photo column by Aaron Horrell. Find this column at semissourian.com to order a reprint of the photo. Find more work by Aaron at The Painted Wren Gallery.