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 | Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3034 Northern AL 
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2003-09-01 63032
In the Ohio river valley in KY we had large horse flies(?) at least they looked exactly like horse flies. The first time I saw one was when I first moved into our house. It had high cedar celling I went to bed the first night and looked up to see a 3 inch long horse fly on the celling. Needless to say I switched rooms but did not sleep too soundly.
I never saw one bite but asked the one of the locals and he said they would rip a chunk out of you. I was never quite sure if he was pulling my leg.
I have never seen them anywhere else are they mutant horse flys? We were not that far from Oak Ridge.
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 | Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2003-09-01 63039
I don't know about the 3 inches but you bet! They can bite the hell out of you and they hurt! Those things are hateful and they are persistent. If you are riding a horse when they bite the horse, I have had them take off full gallop to get away from them. Very aggressive critters. ....
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 | DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2003-09-01 63042
Eric, maybe you have been watching too many of those 50's movies on late, late night TV.
Remember the one where the ants were exposed to radiation and they grew to the size of Buick's? They were hosing the mutant ants down with Thompson sub-guns barely having an effect?
Our horse flies out here are nowhere near 3 inches but they bite like they are at least 6 inches. They literally have the equipment to remove a chunk of meat from you.
Maybe we will start seeing the three inchers when we become the nuclear waste dump for the continent.
Scary.
....
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 | Misenplace
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 875 Michigan 
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2003-09-02 63052
I know at my property we have deer and horse flys. Horse flys are huge and they will let you know they have been there. But the ones I really hate are the deer flys. Smaller and they come in mass. On a bad day I can see them swarming the truck before I even get out. I can deal with mosquitos and no see ems but flys leave huge welts. Did I mention I hate flys ? Dave ....
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 | TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2003-09-02 63053
Those are flies from Murf's Belgiums or our Moose. These flies just winter down there. All you have to do to keep them away is stop taking showers. Then they figure you're a horse but too small to bother with. This is probably what motivated Roman Emperor Caligula to sleep with his horse. The horse later became a Senator and then a god. Just goes to show what attracting flies can do. It probably started the tradition where flies are attracted to legislatures to this very day. No I don't think that one can be blamed on a horse. ....
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| Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2003-09-02 63064
I grew up up north and kmow what horse, Deer, black, noseeum, mosquitos are. My record for horse fly kills when working awamping in the woods was 150 in 8 hrs. Only counted a kill if I got it and then stepped on it. Deer were 10 to one and easier to swat. I knew there was a lot and decided to count one day.
We would define when the black flies were bad as blocking the sun at midday.
I have seen mosquitos so thick that a canoe we portaged when from red to brown and furry.
I never caught one of the horse fly monsters, except dead and never had on light on me. As this was the first time I had lived in the south I thought they may just be normal for the south like the ticks.
I have not seen them here though AL and MS and certainly no one else has.
Does anyone else know more about them? ....
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| Misenplace
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 875 Michigan
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2003-09-02 63068
I thought I origionally heard that they were brought in to eat some kind of bug that was causeing tree damage. Organic pest controll run amuck. Like those damn lady bug things that arent really lady bugs and bite. Dave ....
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| Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2003-09-02 63073
I think that was the large blow fies that they released in the north. These are identical in shape and coloration to a regular horse fly except the wings tend to be a little darker and they are large enough to strip a large chunk of flesh from your hide, double to triple the size of a large horse fly. ....
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