Getting a buzz from 100,000 different flies
THIS summer I have decided to annoy flies before they can annoy me – and I have already failed.
I was out with the dog last night and I yawned only for an insect to pop down my throat causing me to choke and cough for what felt like a good five minutes but was probably 30 seconds.
I have been getting my own back by shoving my camera lenses into the middle of swarming flies causing much angry buzzing.
Last week I took a nice picture of a snipe-fly, getting close enough to see the spot on its wing.
A carnivorous fly that can bite you, it really is quite spectacular close-up. The good thing about snipe-flies is that they catch smaller, probably more annoying insects and eat them.
There are about 15 snipe-flies to choose from but everyone’s favourite is the downlooker snipe-fly.
It is so named because it spends its time on fence posts or trees looking down for passing prey.
Really these naturalists aren’t the most inventive when it come to naming wildlife. Most of us will know the housefly with its ability to bring some pretty grotty diseases into your home.
But even houseflies have their use feeding on all sorts of poo and decaying matter.
They make up 90 per cent of the flies you see in your home. At present we have a house guest, which I have named Justin, which is keeping the dog entertained and annoyed in equal amounts.
There are more flies out there in the wild with about 100,000 species recorded worldwide and it is likely that there are about the same amount still waiting to be found.
Another one I intend to annoy with my camera is the St Mark’s fly, which is the one which hangs, with long dangly legs, on paths in front of wherever you are heading.
This long, shiny black insect is common on our reserves because it likes wetlands and woodlands.
Again most people would class the St Mark’s fly as a pest but they are really useful pollinators for plants and, particularly, fruit trees.
Males and females look very different – the male has large eyes, while the female has a small head with tiny eyes.
The thing is while some of these insects are annoying to us and even put some softies off going outdoors in summer, they are useful.
As mentioned many will eat waste materials and some smaller insects but most will be food for other, larger creatures.
And all of them are remarkably complex and beautiful creatures. Don’t tell me you are not impressed by hoverflies in your garden.
As for the one I swallowed, I’m not sure if it thought I was a large foxglove or it was just looking for somewhere to rest, it’s dead now. What a shame, it could have fed a fledgling swallow.
The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside is dedicated to the protection and promotion of the wildlife in Lancashire, seven boroughs of Greater Manchester and four of Merseyside, all lying north of the River Mersey. The Trust has 27,000 members, and more than 1,200 volunteers. To become a member of the trust go to the website at www. lancswt.org.uk or call 01772 324129. For more information about Cheshire Wildlife Trust call 01948 820728 or go to cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk.