The Life and Sudden Demise of a Horsefly
Jun 30, 2022 4:47:06 GMT
hmca, jackscrap, and 2 more like this
Post by BuckSkin on Jun 30, 2022 4:47:06 GMT
The Life and Sudden Demise of a Horsefly
Wednesday_29-June-2022
This big Horsefly has just now landed and has already began to penetrate the hide.
Although he is plenty big, he is just a baby compared to the humming-bird-sized one I killed two days before, in the same spot; the size of that one is what prompted me to start packing my Canon S90 pocket camera.
That fly had already dug in and sucked hisself full of blood; and, there were a thousand Face-flies gathered around him, hoping to take advantage of the feast.
When I slapped him dead, blood was dripping off my elbow and splattered all over my shirt.
On a well-fed horse, there is a shallow "valley" that runs the length of the backbone.
Right across the loins, where the hips begin, in this valley, is an area that is nigh impossible for a horse to get at and defend; these big Horseflies seem to instinctively know this and that vulnerable spot is where they head for.
I included these links to Britannica, and Wikipedia; however, they are calling Horseflies what I have always heard called Face-Flies; around here, if it isn't at least an inch long, it isn't a Horsefly.
Henry is fidgeting around; I am trying to operate the camera one-handed; and, the sun has blinded the stupid LCD screen such that I can't even tell if I am pointed in the right direction, let alone whether I am in focus or not; obviously, I wasn't.
It has been mere seconds since the big fly has lit and already the little Face-flies are gathering around for the feast; if left alone for another twenty seconds, there will be thousands of Face-flies gathered tightly around the big Horsefly.
Henry is hollerin' "Quit playing with that ____ camera and kill that _______"
One less Horsefly on Henry
This is why I was operating the camera one-handed in my right hand; I needed my left hand free for the kill.
A Good Horsefly
I just now put my glove on and measured; the distance between the two marked points is exactly one inch.
The one I killed a couple days earlier was easily twice the size of this one.
Look at the incisors and biting instruments on this thing; no wonder they can drive a horse to cussing.
Henry's blood that squirted out of the Horsefly.
This is just a small sample of the amount of blood that squirted out of the larger one a couple days earlier.
Even at that, I managed to get some on my glasses and cheek and on the camera.
Honestly, I believe Wikipedia and the other sites have some misinformation; Kentucky is Horse Country and I have never heard anyone in Kentucky label those hateful little-bitty Face-Flies as Horseflies; when a Kentuckian mentions a Horsefly, he is undoubtedly referring to these big black bloodsucking devils =-=-= what do you think ?
Wednesday_29-June-2022
This big Horsefly has just now landed and has already began to penetrate the hide.
Although he is plenty big, he is just a baby compared to the humming-bird-sized one I killed two days before, in the same spot; the size of that one is what prompted me to start packing my Canon S90 pocket camera.
That fly had already dug in and sucked hisself full of blood; and, there were a thousand Face-flies gathered around him, hoping to take advantage of the feast.
When I slapped him dead, blood was dripping off my elbow and splattered all over my shirt.
On a well-fed horse, there is a shallow "valley" that runs the length of the backbone.
Right across the loins, where the hips begin, in this valley, is an area that is nigh impossible for a horse to get at and defend; these big Horseflies seem to instinctively know this and that vulnerable spot is where they head for.
I included these links to Britannica, and Wikipedia; however, they are calling Horseflies what I have always heard called Face-Flies; around here, if it isn't at least an inch long, it isn't a Horsefly.
Henry is fidgeting around; I am trying to operate the camera one-handed; and, the sun has blinded the stupid LCD screen such that I can't even tell if I am pointed in the right direction, let alone whether I am in focus or not; obviously, I wasn't.
It has been mere seconds since the big fly has lit and already the little Face-flies are gathering around for the feast; if left alone for another twenty seconds, there will be thousands of Face-flies gathered tightly around the big Horsefly.
Henry is hollerin' "Quit playing with that ____ camera and kill that _______"
One less Horsefly on Henry
This is why I was operating the camera one-handed in my right hand; I needed my left hand free for the kill.
A Good Horsefly
I just now put my glove on and measured; the distance between the two marked points is exactly one inch.
The one I killed a couple days earlier was easily twice the size of this one.
Look at the incisors and biting instruments on this thing; no wonder they can drive a horse to cussing.
Henry's blood that squirted out of the Horsefly.
This is just a small sample of the amount of blood that squirted out of the larger one a couple days earlier.
Even at that, I managed to get some on my glasses and cheek and on the camera.
Honestly, I believe Wikipedia and the other sites have some misinformation; Kentucky is Horse Country and I have never heard anyone in Kentucky label those hateful little-bitty Face-Flies as Horseflies; when a Kentuckian mentions a Horsefly, he is undoubtedly referring to these big black bloodsucking devils =-=-= what do you think ?
