March flies - when do they disappear?

[sim1oz]

We took our 8yo and 10yo to Baw Baw on the Australia Day weekend hoping to do some walking and camping along the AAWT. The March flies were everywhere (as well as lots of other types) and our 10yo became hysterical so we called it off. Anyone know when the flies start to reduce in numbers? What season, month or average temps? I'd like to try again but I just don't remember the flies being like that last time I was there.

[blackbutt]

There in Summer , not in Winter, a bit in Spring and Autumn. I don't have a good answer to your specific question about when they go but I do have a theory about March flies on another level.

No March fly has ever bitten me and survived. That much hurt is clearly not a functional evolutionary adaptation. Their bite is so overbearing my theory is that they must have evolved to bite much bigger things with much thicker hides. eg.megafauna. I reckon they are supposed to be biting Diprotodons and friends and since those guys left they have had to make do with thin skinned little mammals that react violently and take their chances against the more dexterous ones like humans. I feel a little sorry for for them that there is no megafauna around for them to feed off. That's my theory and I am sticking to it.

[trickos]

April

[wander]

March fly prevalence will directly relate to temperature. The bulk of them will disappear in the 1st extended cool spell.

[whynotwalk]

In my (Tasmanian) experience March flies generally appear in January, become prevalent in February (in the right conditions, as wander points out), and actually tail off in March, when cooler weather appears - and their life cycle is complete.

The term "march flies" covers a number of different species, elsewhere known as horse flies, and generally from the Tabanidae family. There are thousands of different species world-wide. Each species has its own different requirements, seasons, habitats etc, but march flies are generally nectivorous, and play a key role in pollinating plants. Only the female flies bite, as they require blood to reproduce successfully.

Here are some that are found in Tasmania https://sites.google.com/site/insectsoftasmaniadiptera/suborder-brachycera/tabanidae-horse-march-flies ... should revive some happy memories (not!)

cheers

Peter

[David M]

There were lots down on The Prom at Little Waterloo Bay campsite on 8-9 Feb this year. One of the experienced hands in the group demonstated a supposed delicacy from the larger flies. Evidently there is a sweet-tasting organ or sack in them that he just loved to eat...

I suppose though that native insects, spiders and other terrestial arthropods are also protected so not permitted to kill or eat them?

[vagrom]

I was once told that a first frost knocks them all off.

Worst experience of them for sheer numbers was on a very hot day on the Mary Plains in Tas. The hotter it is, it seems the more excited they become. But in Tassie they are very timid biters, compared to mainlanders.

[Moondog55]

When they are bad you really do need fly veils on big hats, B***** flies are one of the reasons I prefer winter.

[MartyGwynne]

They have reduced significantly already (I'm in the BAW BAW area), just love cold weather.
On a lighter note I find they disappear once I have smote them from this mortal earth after delivering a bone smashing bite - youch you little $^%*%.

The ones in East Gippsland nearly carried my son away once they were so bad. He did have great fun catching them though.

[MickyB]

I think flies in general have been really bad this summer. I live close to a few horse paddocks which probably doen't help the situation but they have also been bad in the Otways and South Gippsland when I have been in those areas. It hasn't been as bad the last few days after the rain and cooler weather.

[sim1oz]

Thanks for all the feedback. Yes, March flies are slow but there was so many of them on the top of Baw that my 10yo was doing a dance trying to keep from being bitten. I think we were successful as none of us came up with many bites but I could see why she was stressed out by the experience. I don't think she had every seen so many flying insects at once! We seem to have had one cold snap and hopefully we'll get another lot of cold weather... I think we'll try again on the March long weekend. I'm also going to wash our clothes in permethrin and take extra insect repellent just to be safe.

[Maaxxx]

I once terminated a march fly that was attempting to bite me and placed its body in in the path of a column of little black ants, that was making its way back and forth across my yard. It took them exactly 16 minutes to completely dismantle and carry the remains away to their burrow. (I'm retired!)

[Giddy_up]

Ha Maaxxx you cracked me up, 16 minutes deeply engrossed with such scientific studies of nature is surely time well spent.

[icefest]

16 minutes is almost worth a nice video. I know I'd watch it.

[GPSGuided]

16 minutes is almost worth a nice video. I know I'd watch it.

Go and repeat the experiment and verify. We need to know if the result presented is repeatable and stands up to the scientific review processes.

[icefest]

16 minutes is almost worth a nice video. I know I'd watch it.

Go and repeat the experiment and verify. We need to know if the result presented is repeatable and stands up to the scientific review processes.

Ha! Another place where Koch's Postulates won't help me!

[Maaxxx]

Unfortunately, further research is unlikely. The ants in question went with the house when we sold it. Finding a comparable, alternative colony operating on similar terrain could prove problematic. But I'll keep an eye out just in case.

Last edited by Maaxxx on Thu 27 Feb, 2014 8:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

[wander]

16 minutes is very slow, you to get better ants.

BTW the trout in Murgab Creek took on average 3 seconds to eat the March flies or mozzies we tossed em.

[Maaxxx]

Yeah! But did they enjoy them??

[paidal_chalne_vala]

I just went to the Prom for a one night hike over the w/end and the march fly count was close to zero .

[ULWalkingPhil]

They disapear on the ground when I swat at them, tough little buggers, sometimes they get up and walk than fly off.

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