Size:
About 1/4 inch long
Color:
Grayish-colored bodies
The identity of the Stable Fly is sometimes confused with the House Fly.
Both males and females use this proboscis to pierce the skin of a host and suck blood. The bite is painful.
The STABLE FLY can be easily distinguished from other common domestic flies by the long, pointed proboscis which extends in front of the head.
l and outdoor human activity may be curtailed when these flies are numerous.
The Stable fly ingests liquids by piercing (bites), while the house fly has a sponging mouth part.
Stable flies are commonly found around stables and houses, and also along the seashore and near dog kennels.
The early morning and late afternoon hours are commonly peak feeding times. Peak activity usually occurs during warm periods following rainfall. Stable flies like to feed on the lower parts of the hosts such as the legs and belly of horses and cattle. Cattle, horses, and people are typically bitten on the legs; dogs and swine are generally bitten on the ears.
People, livestock, pets and other mammals blood meal.
Stable flies are known for their bites, they are also called "biting flies". They bite people, livestock, pets and other mammals. The bites may feel like a needle stab. Most bites occur around the ankles and lower parts of the legs. Stable flies are very persistent when searching for a blood meal.
Stable fly Prevention Tips
Exclusion and Sanitation:
- The key to controlling these infestations is to locate and eliminate their breeding sources.
- Ongoing sanitation is critically important in stables to eliminate the breeding material, reducing and eliminating the population. Stable flies breed in decaying grass or crop clippings, hay residues, and silage. Because they are extremely strong fliers, the source of the infestation may be located up to several hundred miles away.
- Whenever possible, food and materials on which the flies can lay their eggs must be removed, destroyed, as a breeding medium, or isolated from the egg-laying adult. Killing adult flies will reduce infestation, but elimination of breeding areas is necessary for good management.
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