Perhaps spurred by jealous motives, someone suggested to this writer that horse flies were similar to mosquitoes and visibly much larger. Thus, they too might prove to be delectable.
Sure, cover them with enough chocolate and they might just be tolerable. That chocolate creation would definitely be a horse pill to swallow. Gulp!
Horse flies from a distance look like the harmless, if annoying, house fly. They are very different. Divorce attorneys who study the matter might want to see if they could be useful for collections.
Unlike a mosquito that uses a needle-sharp proboscis to suck up a drop of blood, the horse fly female is a focused foe with a chainsaw and a sponge. One part of its mouth cuts the skin and another part sops up the blood. Using highly sensitive sensors, the horse fly looks for large, dark objects radiating heat. Once locked on, they will harass the victim until they land.
Landing is only the beginning. Typical reactions like flinching the skin, shaking the head, brushing them off, and other actions do little to end the assault from the female fly. Horses and other large animals can suffer. A well-dressed horse might check out the bonnets used at East of Eden Stables or a good equestrian haberdashery.
It has been well known that mosquitos sing when they find a good host site. It is that high-pitched whine that we hear and react to. But a horse fly, while happy to announce that it has found a good site, does things a bit differently. Music is the motif. The motive for a horse fly compared to a mosquito is the difference between a nice string quartet and an Iron Maiden/ Megadeath metal heads concert.
Picture if you will a robust, determined, big-boned fly with a chainsaw revving up, yelling at the top of its lungs, and smashing into the target at full throttle. Ever yell at a Wildcats game or a Red Sox meet-up? The next day the voice tends to be a bit rough.
Same with these giant flies. They get a bit hoarse. Say hello to the hoarse fly.
Orpheus Allison is a photojournalist living in The County who graduated from UMPI and earned a master of liberal arts degree from the University of North Carolina. He began his journalism career at WAGM television, later working in many different areas of the US. After 20 years of television he changed careers and taught in China and Korea.
