AUSTIN (KXAN)— The heavy rainfall throughout Texas is expected to fuel the horsefly population in the coming weeks, according to Texas A&M Agrilife research.
Horseflies do not only target horses — they feed on the blood of both animals and humans, the report said.
Horsefly season is in the summer due to their egg laying period in the winter and spring, according to the research. Since there has been more rainfall within the last few months and flooding from Beryl, more of these pests are expected.
Sonja Swiger, Ph.D., who has a doctorate in entomology, predicted there will be more horseflies this year than the past two years. Swiger is a professor with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
“Their larvae need mud to develop, so I would expect an emergence. I also suspect some locations in East Texas are already getting eaten up by them,” she said in the report.
These flies are “persistent” and are difficult to control. There is no data to show that pour-ons are effective in getting rid of them, the report said. Pyrethroid pour-ons have shown to provide temporary relief.
The report said that this could bring trouble to livestock owners. If faced with a horsefly infestation, it is recommended that the owners move their animals in an enclosed space, like a barn.
These pests can grow up to an inch long and can range from a variety of colors, the report said.
Traps for horseflies do exist, and can reduce the population in the infested area, Swiger said in the report.
“They are visual hunters so many traps have a black ball, which mimics the belly of an animal,” she said. “We trapped 350 horseflies and 200 deerflies over 10 weeks in two counties for a study. So, they do work. We just don’t have enough data yet to say how effective they are.”