When do the biting flies first start arriving in the spring? I recall them being very bad at Memorial Day last year and even causing problems for my kids into mid July. We'll be down next week and hope that the biting flies have not yet arrived.

Thanks

Beware the FLY !!!

You never know when my friends and I might show up.

Looks like the flies are back in full force on the Board.

The flies will be popping out around the beginning of June if all is on schedule.

Just remember if the Black (Dog) Flies are hurting you, drive over to a shady area around the Bay and wait for the Yellow (Deer) Flies to bite. You will be begging for the Black (Dog) Flies to take their place.

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:laughing1

The black flies (dog flies) that bite on the beach usually come in warmer weather and mainly come on the beach when there is a prevailing wind from the North. They can be there in the morning and then gone later or the other way around.

They can be annoying and if really bad can drive you off the beach. Although the bite hurts, they do not have poison like deer flies, mosquitoes, etc. - so they leave no welt or cause itching.

...and, only the female Deer Fly, Dog Fly, and Mosquitos bite. The males just get killed for looking similar to the blood thirsty females. They need your blood for there babies to carry on for many generations to come. Forget about killing the Deer Flies because they live for only a day in that form, so I've been told. The male Deer Fly eats nectar.

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Man...you know a lot about flies!!!! :) All I know, is every year when we are there in August, they are HORRIBLE!!!! OUCH!!!!

Good stuff y'all!

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Dont think we have ever experienced those on vacation yet!!! now the tiny little fish that swarm you in the ocean....I could live with out those!!!! have had many go down my suit!!!! :oops:

see addition to Kurt's list of top10 complaints heard in SoWal -- "Damn Pinfish!"

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OkAY, YOU GUYS ARE SCARING ME.

Interesting that the biting insects are here for tourists season only. Hmm? However, they bite locals too.

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This morning, I was buzzed by a yellow fly and saw another big one this afternoon. They're back.

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Locals in general are saltier, but tourists are meatier. Hmmmm . . .decisions, decisions.

All flies have been warned not to bother SJ.

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buzz buzz

Thanks Fly. I can use all the help I can get.

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I don't remember if it's in August or in the fall, but I like to go to the beach early in the mornings to sit in a beach chair and read a good book, and I do remember deciding to wear long pants or bringing a towel to wrap my legs in to keep little biting insects off them. The technique works great and I didn't have a problem as long as I kept my legs under wraps. Haven't been chased or bitten by a yellow fly yet, but I'm still pretty new to the area.

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Paula

By suggesting that tourists are "meatier," I hope that you are not suggesting that I am "fat" (less meaty). Don't make me bust out the fly glue.

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You are now off the no fly zone.

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buzz buzz

Now, I am thinking about the "D" word.

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We've been here one week and have three more weeks to enjoy the beach....at least I hope we can. The flies are biting us horribly and the several repellents we've tried don't seem to help. We've had to leave the beach early in the morning, early afternoon and late afternoon. Does anyone have any recommendations for good repellents or a better time of day to be on the beach?

We were here two years ago in late August and never experienced any biting flies or mosquitoes. Are they somehow related to the hurricane???

We're from Arizona, so I know we probably sound rather ignorant about these things, but any help will be greatly appreciated.

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[font=Comic Sans MS][size=6][color=deepskyblue]Tango 1 & 2[/color][/size][/font]

Not hurricane related.

They will be on the beach until the wind turns around and comes from offshore.

The only repellent is Smiling Joe's homebrew.

You don't sound ignorant because your from Arizona.

The Dog Flies come in when the winds are out of the NW. They are not related to the Hurricanes. When the low pressure out of the NW moves out of here, the Flies will be pushed north. Until then, enjoy the 70 degree temperatures at night and the dryer air. I braved the Flies for a couple of hours last night, and they finally packed up shop and moved on when darkness fell on the sky. The flies are attracted to dark colors, so I am told, so wear white clothing when possible. They also like salty skin. Going into the Gulf is more likely to get you covered when you come out of the water. You could always find a sacrificial object to dip into the Gulf's salty water, and set it up near you, but not too close (10-15' away). The object can be anything darker in color with a little size - plastic boat, boogie board, beach chair, etc. If you are going to use a product with deet, you will have to use one with a deet percentage of 30%+ to be effective in the least bit. Keep it close to you and expect to reapply often.

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Great, send your danged flies my way. Well, I'll just tell the little buggers to pack up and go south again (don't worry, I'll give them tiny little maps that lead to New Mexico).

a little biting fly secret that I shall share with sowal friends only:

invite smiling joe to accompany you and yours to the beach, put a black t-shirt on him, and a little red speedo, and sit back and enjoy while the flies swarm upon him. they absolutely LOVE that guy - he's so sweet and all... no kidding!

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oh, I forgot one thing: give him plenty of beer and/or red wine.

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Not a pleasant mental image .

Hey Smiling Joe and Kurt----thanks so much for the info. Guess we'll just enjoy the weather and wait (hope)for the winds to change. Love the idea of a sacrificial object!!!!

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[font=Comic Sans MS][size=6][color=deepskyblue]Tango 1 & 2[/color][/size][/font]

Yes, I do have a natural home brew insect repellant, but it has not been tested in great numbers. It proved to be fairly effective when fighting the Deer Flies. I am still playing with the recipe. I may have to juice it up a bit to repel the Dog Flies.

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Seems that the cashier at the Tom Thumb has made our Laborday vacation a success!!! She suggested vinegar (remember "you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar"). We bought a bottle (white vinegar $1.39 for a bottle) and put it on this morning and the flies still landed on us but jumped off pretty quickly without biting us.

We have not tried it in the late afternoon or evening but we will be this evening. Kurt or SJ does this work or were we just lucky this morning??

We hope it still works later today.

The smell might even keep the WHITE SHIRTS away as well! Two birds w/one stone!!

It does not seem like we need to bathe in the vinegar. Just put a lite spray on the legs and arms and it worked. It is better than sitting in the house all day/night?

We have found that the yellow flies start on or around Memorial Day and the dog flies start on or around Labor Day. Yellow flies can leave a large swollen area around the bite that lasts for days. We were on the beach Aug.24th and the dog flies were terrible. They seemed to be attracted to anything white, so not sure about being attracted to dark objects...were all over our white bucket, white umbrella pole and husband's white shirt. You just couldn't get out of the water and stay on the beach! Tried Cactus Juice and Cutter but nothing kept them off. Wrapped up in towels and went home.

Here is a recipe from the Walton Sun, May 2004 - I've made up a batch and keep it in a spray bottle in our refrigerator. Seems to work best if you apply right after being bitten. Rub in briskly. You can also try window clearner with ammonia, in a pinch.

Yellow Fly Bite and Sting (Jellyfish) Relief
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup ammonia
1/3 twp papain (meat tenderizer)
1 crushed asprin
Mix thoroughly and store in refrigerator. Be sure to label container.
When needed, shake well and apply with a cotton swab -
or heck, just spray it on fast!

Yellow flies seem to like shady, humid areas, tend to avoid large open sunny areas, hence, don't usually see them on the beach. For dog flies, enjoy the beach when there is a Gulf breeze.

Looks like you stumbled on a great fix!! Now, just put it in a pretty bottle w/ a catchy name and sell it on 30-A! Instant cash for some good eating out...or GAS home! How's the beach today?

The ones we have encountered are the dog flies (I think). They do seem to like dark colors, salt (get out of the water and they will swarm you), and the over the counter bug repellants do not work on them according to everyone we spoke to. It also seems that based on your chemical make up (smell and taste) or the shampoo, anti persperant, perfume (wife) etc that they like some people better than others. The joke in my family is that since I am a "smelly, oily" Italian (1/2 Italian) that they do not like me as much as my wife and kids. Maybe that is why the vinegar works for me (Italian dressing).

We may bottle it and sell it if it works but....not sure. We'll let you know.

I have not tried it on the Dog Flies, but vinegar is a natural insecticide, so it may work. I keep a bottle or two of VAW (Vinegar And Water) around the house for cleaning purposes. Maybe I should take one to the beach when I go. Vinegar also helps take the sting out of Jellyfish stings. It is a wonderful product.

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Can you actually breathe with the fumes from the ammonia?

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SJ - Can you mix me up a vat of your homebrew for next week? I have scars from yellow fly bites from earlier this summer. Apparently all biting insects find me to be a tasty treat.

Good ?...my guess is it makes you pass out and you don't feel them biting you!

My current recipe, while working pretty good for the Deer Flies(yellow), is not working against the Dog Flies, but I do have a fly swatter. I am going to play with vinegar water solution to see if I can get it to repel. I really doubt it will though since heavy dosages of deet applied directly on the Flies, does not seem to bug them. I think one reason that they get me is that I don't take a shower just prior to going to the beach, so I have salt dried on my skin. Tasty.

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Well we did some more extensive testing with the white vinegar mid/late this afternoon and it seemed to work pretty well. I applied it full strength liberally to my legs, arms, and neck and it kept them from biting me even though they would land on me. Unfortunately and apparently, the vinegar loses its strength for some reason (evaporation??) and frequent reapplication was required to keep them from biting.

My kids and wife put the vinegar on but then went into the water (salt) and then when they got out the flies feasted. So, not foolproof it looks like it works better then anything else we have heard and certainly better then nothing.

Eitherway, we all had a good time on the beach today!!!!

absorption

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How about a battery powered VINEGAR MISTER? I'm smelling some patents here!!!