Enjoy! And Happy Hunting!
I’ve always been a sporting man and Yellow fly season is no different. Here's a way to make the season fun and keep the itch away. I make a contest with myself every year: bites vs kills. My best year was 33 kills and 5 bites. I've only lost two years to the yellow bastards in the last 13 years.
Let the body count begin.
Tips: listen and watch, they have a distinctive sounding buzz and they are larger than a house fly. They will circle you at least 3 times before they find a spot to feed. Wait for it, put out your arms and stay alert. They love elbows, knuckles, ankles and the back of your knees.
Basically I announce the word “tracking!” when I see a yellow fly circling me. That’s when the hunter becomes the hunted.
Their achilles heel is this: once they land they lose all reason and consciousness as they begin to place their proboscis in you. You then have a second or two before the bite occurs. STRIKE! with a killer blow and then strike again or crush them with your foot because they have an uncanny habit of re-animating. Next, smile your best Jack Nicholson smile and add the latest KILL to your list.
Now, the important part: If you are bitten do not, I repeat, do not scratch the bite no matter how much it itches. RESIST ALL TEMPTATION. WHY?? Because itching the scratch spreads the toxin into the tissue surrounding the bite (some people have severe reaction resulting in major swelling). RESIST ALL TEMPTATION TO SCRATCH for 20 minutes. I guarantee you in most cases the bite scratch will go away and you won't have a welt or an aggravated swelling bump for days.
Oh, one more thing. Cactus Juice works to keep them off of you. It really works. Buy some at Old Florida Outfitters in Watercolor.
Happy Hunting!
Teresa Lischka shared this tip too. Put vinegar on the bite. Totally goes away.
Replies
41
SoWal Guide
Yikes you're nuts! I have never found anything that keeps them from biting except keeping skin covered. But I will try the cactus juice again.
I kill a few but always get many more big painful bites around the neighborhood in the woods. Washing in vinegar takes it away completely for me.
Good luck people!
I kill a few but always get many more big painful bites around the neighborhood in the woods. Washing in vinegar takes it away completely for me.
Good luck people!
Beach Fanatic
Bird shot is better than buck shot.
Moderator
I just wear three or four of those big black sticky bug balls around everywhere. They work great, and if you happen to go into a shop with tight aisles, sometimes you come out with gifts that accidentally stick to you!
Beach Comber
I hate them so very, very, very much. The thing is, if the cactus juice works so well, then why are you getting bit so much still and or/attacked ? Are you just not taking a bath in it or not using it as much as you should ? Also, I heard the yellow fly anesthetizes the bite when it first penetrates the skin so you do not feel the sharp pain until after its already got you and too late.
Beach Fanatic
#61
Beach Fanatic
#71
Beach FanaticAuthor
View attachment 76737 I’m up by one...leeeetle baztardz!You are ahead of me already! I haven’t even been tracked by one yet. Can’t wait for my first kill. It’s always a little embarrassing to get bit before your first kill that’s the first challenge of the year. Congratulations!
Beach Fanatic
What about the silent and deadly ones? I don't know why some are stealthy and some are loud and aggressive.
SoWal Guide
What about the silent and deadly ones? I don't know why some are stealthy and some are loud and aggressive.Seems like they are aggressive for a while and then slow down after a few weeks. At least when aggressive you notice them.
Beach Lover
Have the black ball from last year. Re-coated with tangle trap using a spray can. Paired it with a blue beach ball hung in tandem. (Northern states swear by cobalt blue as an attractant.) Will report back later with results.
Nothing soothes a yellow fly bite like killing the fly and all its cousins.
Nothing soothes a yellow fly bite like killing the fly and all its cousins.
SoWal Guide
Black flies and yellow flies at Deer Lake State Park a few nights ago just before sunset. What a mix.
Moderator
Black flies and yellow flies at Deer Lake State Park a few nights ago just before sunset. What a mix.
My dad used to always describe black / dog flies as "small houseflys except they are 90% teeth". I've seen them so bad that people were fleeing from the beach. Back in the days when you could drive on the beach we had our Army jeep on the sand and Gulfview Heights / SRB. There were so many flies on it that it looked like it had black dots all over it.
SoWal Guide
My dad used to always describe black / dog flies as "small houseflys except they are 90% teeth". I've seen them so bad that people were fleeing from the beach. Back in the days when you could drive on the beach we had our Army jeep on the sand and Gulfview Heights / SRB. There were so many flies on it that it looked like it had black dots all over it.The worst! I have been chased off the beach by those black flies many times. Usually late summer or early fall.
I didn't think yellow flies went to the beach! But we were on the boardwalk so I guess they go near the beach
Beach Fanatic
The Repel Lemon Eucalyptus DEET Free spray works for me. It's quite effective against mosquitos as well.
Repel® Plant-Based Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent2 (Pump Spray) | Repel
Repel® Plant-Based Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent2 (Pump Spray) | Repel
Beach Fanatic
What about the silent and deadly ones? I don't know why some are stealthy and some are loud and aggressive.
Its the female yellow flies that are loud and agressive.
(Couldn't let that one pass by 
)Actually, it IS the females that bite.
Yellow-Fly
SoWal Guide
Just walked the dog with swarming yellow flies. They didn't bite as long as we kept moving. Still cut the walk short.
Beach Comber
The Repel Lemon Eucalyptus DEET Free spray works for me. It's quite effective against mosquitos as well.I read an article from research that says that lemon eucalyptus is the most effective repellant. Thanks for the link.
Repel® Plant-Based Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent2 (Pump Spray) | Repel
Beach Lover
#191
So, cobalt works. I counted 9 flies just now. Impossible to use the black one next to it as a baseline, as it’s reused from last year.
Dave,
My hand swatted versus bitten ratio, as of today, is 1-0 in favor of the good guys.
Dave,
My hand swatted versus bitten ratio, as of today, is 1-0 in favor of the good guys.
Beach Fanatic
Is mosquito control handing out the black balls this year?
SoWal Guide
#211
Could not go for a walk yesterday due to yellow flies swarming worse than ever. My dog even refused to go for a walk. They must be at their peak. Meanwhile trapped ones die on my back porch from natural causes I guess.
Edited
Beach Fanatic
I spent both days this past weekend working outside in heavily-wooded areas. The first day, I wore Cactus Juice, and the yellow flies bothered me less but, in the long run of the day, ate me up pretty good. The second day, I sprayed myself good with Cutter (face and hair included)....I pressure-washed for 8 hours, and was buzz-bombed constantly, but was never bitten. Not a commercial endorsement; just an interesting face.
Last Thursday evening, one got in the house and, at some time after I went to sleep for the night, must have parked on one of the prominent veins atop my right hand, because I awoke with the skin on my right hand stretched extremely tight over a hand that was like a catcher's mitt. I only swell from bites to my hands and feet, but it usually only lasts no more than an hour.....my right hand stayed swollen until early evening on Friday! Ugh.
Last Thursday evening, one got in the house and, at some time after I went to sleep for the night, must have parked on one of the prominent veins atop my right hand, because I awoke with the skin on my right hand stretched extremely tight over a hand that was like a catcher's mitt. I only swell from bites to my hands and feet, but it usually only lasts no more than an hour.....my right hand stayed swollen until early evening on Friday! Ugh.
Skunky
I was doing some caulking outside yesterday and figured that trading out my shorts for long pants made more sense than swatting and dancing while up on a ladder. It worked!
SoWal Guide
I was doing some caulking outside yesterday and figured that trading out my shorts for long pants made more sense than swatting and dancing while up on a ladder. It worked!Yes I only walk with long pants during yellow fly season. They don't bite as long as I'm in motion. Usually. But they are aggressively dive bombing my head. Not sure but they may be worse bayside in the woods.
Beach Fanatic
Yes I only walk with long pants during yellow fly season. They don't bite as long as I'm in motion. Usually. But they are aggressively dive bombing my head. Not sure but they may be worse bayside in the woods.
Same here on the long pants. I also wear a white bandana around my neck. This seems to keep them away from my neck and head. Also baseball hat when I am walking my dog. Hopefully this dry spell we are in will keep them in check.
Beach Lover
#261
So, cobalt works. I counted 9 flies just now. Impossible to use the black one next to it as a baseline, as it’s reused from last year.
Dave,
My hand swatted versus bitten ratio, as of today, is 1-0 in favor of the good guys.
Checking your forum account
Please wait while we verify your forum account.