Horse flies

or at least I think it was...anyway anyone who went on the 'tick' thread will remember my aversion and severe reaction to insect bites.

Sunday afternoon I was strimming in the garden with full body protection on including my old Montane windproof with the hood up and firmly fastened!! Stupidly I forgot gloves and I was halfway through strimming when I felt something on my hand, I knocked off a massive insecty thing (it was that big I thought it had feathers :eek:) but not before it had drawn blood...and right on a vein.

Anyway to cut a long story short I am now back home after 24 hrs in hospital being given intravenous antibiotics for my hand and arm that swelled so much I looked like the elephant man. They are still very swollen but fortunately the lack of beds meant I was first to be kicked out so I don't have to endure another sleepless night amongst the seriously ill.

The specialist said it was either an infected bite or quite likely an 'exotic' breed of spider that there have been reports of roundabouts where I live!!

wow thats an extreme reaction , i am often bitten by creepy crawlies and horseflies are nasty bites.

I find horsefly bites the worst. I've seen some horrible reactions to them when my friends have been bitten. Although I tend to react nastily to red ant stings

I was bitten by something at Ambleside Sports when running through high bracken.

The day after at work my hand got larger and larger - ended up at GP that evening and on antibiotics. Fortunately got better quite quickly.

Said that it needed antibiotics because of the mouth parts that were left behind. Think it was a horsefly.

[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/jeremy/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.jpg[/IMG][IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/jeremy/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-3.jpg[/IMG]Only the female horseflies suck blood , the males feed on nectar. just a thought! [IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/jeremy/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-4.jpg[/IMG]:D

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Originally Posted by Bladerunner

or at least I think it was...anyway anyone who went on the 'tick' thread will remember my aversion and severe reaction to insect bites.

Sunday afternoon I was strimming in the garden with full body protection on including my old Montane windproof with the hood up and firmly fastened!! Stupidly I forgot gloves and I was halfway through strimming when I felt something on my hand, I knocked off a massive insecty thing (it was that big I thought it had feathers :eek:) but not before it had drawn blood...and right on a vein.

Anyway to cut a long story short I am now back home after 24 hrs in hospital being given intravenous antibiotics for my hand and arm that swelled so much I looked like the elephant man. They are still very swollen but fortunately the lack of beds meant I was first to be kicked out so I don't have to endure another sleepless night amongst the seriously ill.

The specialist said it was either an infected bite or quite likely an 'exotic' breed of spider that there have been reports of roundabouts where I live!!

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Klegs we calls them, nasty little b@stards!

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Originally Posted by haworth hobbler

Klegs we calls them, nasty little b@stards!

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The best way to deal with them is to wait until they have just punctured your skin then gently hit them with the flat of your hand & roll your hand over the body. They will fall off your skin without damaging you & you can then kill them at your leisure. Failure to do this properly will ensure that they come back & try to feed on you again. :eek::eek:


Regards,

Max.

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Originally Posted by Max

The best way to deal with them is to wait until they have just punctured your skin then gently hit them with the flat of your hand & roll your hand over the body. They will fall off your skin without damaging you & you can then kill them at your leisure. Failure to do this properly will ensure that they come back & try to feed on you again. :eek::eek:


Regards,

Max.

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What? You actually let the feckers bite you? I usually just swat them with my palm as hard as I can. They are sloooowwww after all....

Mind you - one bit me through my tshirt on my back once - I guess if they can chew through a horses 4r$e then some corron isn't a problem.

Anyway - I usually just end up with wasp/bee stings. Got one three weeks ago on my calf and I had a terrible reaction to it. Huge red angry weal came up - took about a week to go away!

I'm something of an expert in being bitten by horse flies (well you have to be good at something...). We used to go to a beach resort in the south west corner of Samos (a Greek Island) and, for some reason, one year there seemed to be frigging loads of the bastards, all of whom seemed to want a piece of me. The big ones here must be an inch and a half long and take big chomps out of you.

One morning whilst there I set off early to run up a mountain (mount kerkes 1500 metres) and on the track through the olive groves near the bottom I had loads of the buggers, all probably woken up by me, almost swarming to get at me. I got a couple of huge gaping bites :rolleyes: but found that by taking my tee shirt off and waving it around my head like a mad dervish I was able to keep them at bay until I got above the horse fly zone.

My tip: Wave your tee shirt around your head.

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Originally Posted by Deeko

What? You actually let the feckers bite you?

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Yes, that is the secret. :eek: Once they have settled on your skin then act just before they bite & they are unable to fly away as their proboscis is embedded in you.

Regards,

Max. ;)

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Originally Posted by Max

Yes, that is the secret. :eek: Once they have settled on your skin then act just before they bite & they are unable to fly away as their proboscis is embedded in you.

Regards,

Max. ;)

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I'm not so sure I fancy trying that one out!! Certainly doesn't work with midges (of which there seems to be vastly increasing numbers in the east of Scotland!)...

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Originally Posted by Deeko

I'm not so sure I fancy trying that one out!! Certainly doesn't work with midges (of which there seems to be vastly increasing numbers in the east of Scotland!)...

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NOTHING works with midges :eek:, try Avon Skin So Soft, the green one.

Regards,

Max. :cool:

Horseflies are complete f88kin' bas88rds an' no mistake!:mad:

Although I don't suffer with any particular reactions to British nasties I have spent much of my working life in nasty bug infested hot places (not just our local takeaway). Sadly, cos it stains your clothes and can be bad for the complexion, DEET rich repellent does work and a good brand lasts several hours. It would be nice to 'go green' but DEET does the job best.

From experience, don't bother with the little electric 'clickers' that use a small shock to de-nature the poison - all I ever got was sting and then a shock.

Chip shop vinegar works against nettles. Very hot water against some jellyfish venom and a jamjar with the hot water poured out creates a vaccuum to draw sea urchin spines and bee stings etc.

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Originally Posted by Max

NOTHING works with midges :eek:, try Avon Skin So Soft, the green one.

Regards,

Max. :cool:

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Agree with Max, have used Avon Skin-So-Soft for few years now and it is the only thing that repels midges for me, give it a try it may well work for clegs as well. Can't seem to get hold of the green one anymore, the woodland fresh fragrance but the normal one seems to work just as well, I know a few forrest contractors in Scotland that use it also. You can order it off Avon's website.

John

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Originally Posted by Lola

From experience, don't bother with the little electric 'clickers' that use a small shock to de-nature the poison - all I ever got was sting and then a shock.

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I have to disagree here. I've used mine for 4 years & it helps ease the pain from all bites & stings.
Use urine (preferrably your own!) for jellyfish venom. :eek::eek:

Regards,

Max. ;)

why? Is your own more effective?

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Originally Posted by Grouse

why? Is your own more effective?

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not sure why but would you let someone elso piss on you;) (or you may prefer not to answer that one).

Oh, I see. :rolleyes::D

Cleggs , horseflies ,wasps, bees, midgies all evil swines. Horseflies give me the biggest swelling. cleggs easiest to kill. Wasps , most aggressive. Midgies are just plain evil, en masse. Don't mind bees.
The daddy of them all is the wood wasp , it doesn't sting or bite but i run away like a big girl when i see one , they look prehistoric.

More insect thrills can be found on the Insect Channel

have you seen those cockchafers. Not only do they have a deeply worrying name, but they're massive :eek:

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Originally Posted by Pudgy

have you seen those cockchafers. Not only do they have a deeply worrying name, but they're massive :eek:

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http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/7...chafer1fm0.jpg

If "their proboscis is embedded in you", surely they have already bitten you ?
In any case, be careful when swatting them as you can easily force the contents of their insides into you whilst they bite you. It's best to swipe them off sideways.
I thought Gleggs was the name for Horseflies in Cumbria, so the same thing really ?

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Originally Posted by Tikeltum

I thought Gleggs was the name for Horseflies in Cumbria, so the same thing really ?

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Gleggs? Is that not a chinese bakery?!