May 5
Biting flies, like deer flies and horse flies, I would suspect have turned many folks against being “outdoors.” I just read about a fellow who quite his job because of them. His job involved going from house to house knocking on doors and it so happened he encountered enough flies that he was literally covered with them. All of them were biting! He quit then and there.
As much as I love my garden, one deer fly has had the ability to makeme want to head for house before I finished the task at hand. When one attacks I look for a long piece of vegetation, like an 18 inch stalk of phlox. I must look ridiculous madly waving this piece of green around my head. I can hardly get anything done for fending off the attack.
Somewhere I read that repellents do little or nothing to stop the biting, since flies primarily use visual clues to find their “prey”. And more than one deer fly? —–well —-I’m in the house!
Some years back we found these great Deer Fly Defense Patches to stick on the back of your hat. They attract the flies rather than the back of your neck or arm and catch them in the sticky adhesive. Bill (my artist husband) carries these patches in his box of supplies when doing field research and is never without them! Deer Flies will start this month in our area. As in years past I’m sure he will come home many times with the entire patch covered with Deer Flies, but happy to report that they never touched him!
I invite you to check them out at Garden’s Alive using this link. If you are a frequent visitor to this site you know already that I’ve been ordering from them for about 30 years. Many consider them the premier company for environmentally responsible products.
If your Mom is a gardener or outdoors-woman, get some of these in addition to her “official” Mother’s Day’s gift. Even if they arrive after the fact, she’ll be thanking you for long time. And while you are ordering – remember Dad as well.
Happy Mother’s Day!
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