Problem with flies... biting me!!

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PopPopT

PopPopT

Awesome Friend
Neighbor
Joined
Jan 17, 2018
Messages
809
Location
Deer Lodge, Tennessee
Gardening is going well this year. It's been quite dry and watering has been a big deal. But so far, my gardens seem to be the envy of the neighborhood. Can't say I do it for that reason, but it's nice of the neighbors to mention it.

Problem is, the flies are getting to me. They bite! We don't have any animals of our own nearby so I guess I'm viewed as "food" by them. We have horses, cows, sheep and goats in large quantities within a mile or so.

I'm not sure whether they're horse flies or deer flies or exactly what they are. But I've got several welts where they decided to gnaw on me over the past few days. They're very persistent. Almost feels like a bee stinging when they take a bite.

Short of dousing myself with ddt, what might you suggest as a way to keep them from biting? Buzzing around might be irritating, but that's not a big deal. But the biting ain't good. Kinda need a solution that'll keep 'em from doin' that. It's too hot for a bee suit. And most of the welts are on the shoulders and back where they've bitten through a Carhart shirt, not on bare skin. Can't imagine what they'd do with bare skin.

Anyway, if you have an idea or two, I'm definitely interested!

Thanks!
 
OFF! will keep them away for a while but they will buzz around your head and drive you nuts. When I was a kid we still "walked beans" to take out the weeds by hand and when the horseflies found us, OFF! was the best thing going. That constant buzzing 'bout drove me insane though. I'd rather they stayed silent and bit me. When they bite, you know where to swat and you can kill them...
 
You might want to consider taking some apple cider vinegar to make yourself a little less tasty to the critters. If you don't care for regular ACV, there are ACV tablets and there's also cherry flavored gummies that are quite good. I make sure to get my ACV onboard before black fly, mosquito, tick, and deer fly season ramps up. It wouldn't hurt to give it a try.
 
angie_nrs said:
You might want to consider taking some apple cider vinegar to make yourself a little less tasty to the critters. If you don't care for regular ACV, there are ACV tablets and there's also cherry flavored gummies that are quite good. I make sure to get my ACV onboard before black fly, mosquito, tick, and deer fly season ramps up. It wouldn't hurt to give it a try.
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Thanks for that.

In season the flies get me. I have qualms with smelling like vinegar after all I ear onions and garlic raw.

Ben
 
Bacpacker said:
They are normally slow and easy to kill.
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The hardest part is usually that they'll "strike" while it's not easy to swat (somethin' in my hands) or they'll land on a part that ain't easy to reach. My arms are usually quite available but also easy to swat, they don't usually pay much attention to that. But when I'm bent over a pullin' weeds or somethin' similar, they'll hit on the back side of the shoulders or on down towards the waist line in the back, neither of which are easy to make a killin' swat on since I can't see it and sometimes can barely even reach it if I try. Ya wouldn't think they'd be that smart but they seem to find the right places. Luckily, I don't have the "plumber" thing goin'... LOL!!
 
Spikedriver said:
OFF! will keep them away for a while
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I'm guessin' that's probably one of the more reliable "when ya gotta keep 'em off" kind of applications. We might even have somethin' similar around, I'll have to go lookin' for it. (I have a bad habit of puttin' stuff down and leaving it where it's not supposed to be so when I want it again, I may not remember where it is. I really gotta do better about that.)
 
Spikedriver said:
I have not found ACV to be much help for bitey bugs. It does other good things, but our flies seem to treat it like seasoning on food. Same with other foods like garlic.
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LOL!! I like that kinda stuff anyway so easy to do. :) I too, have heard varying reports about how well that works (or doesn't work).
 
Spikedriver said:
I have not found ACV to be much help for bitey bugs. It does other good things, but our flies seem to treat it like seasoning on food. Same with other foods like garlic.
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I think it depends on the person. Some people are just tasty to bugs and others.....not so much. I think it does help detur skeeters with me, but I take it for other health benefits as well.
 
angie_nrs said:
I think it depends on the person. Some people are just tasty to bugs and others.....not so much. I think it does help detur skeeters with me, but I take it for other health benefits as well.
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I take it for my gut. I find it is the best thing for heartburn and reflux. A healthy splash of ACV in a glass of hot water every few days does the trick!
 
PopPopT said:
I don't know of an Avon dealer around these parts but I might have to start payin' attention. Have heard of it. Hope it doesn't stink too bad. LOL!!
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It doesn't stink, lol. I have used it for black flies and it works well.
 
Curmudgeon said:
It doesn't stink, lol.
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I knew there was probably a better word for it than "stink" but never did think of it. Sometimes ladies perfumes are really harsh to me, to the point I'd rather smell the manure spreader they're that bad. I haven't been around that too much lately, used to be when I was more into the "church" world. (Musician.) And when I think "Avon", I usually think "ladies smelly things". LOL!
 
I don't use them very often, but when I do a remote fly in trip to the worst spots for bugs, these have been a lifesaver!

The Original Bug Shirt®: Elite Edition - The Original Bug Shirt Company

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