Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service tells us that Texas is seeing the largest populations of horse flies it has seen in over a decade! The infestation is causing some major problems for Texas livestock and their producers.
Despite the name, horse flies are not host-specific and will feed on ANY opportune human and animal hosts. Unlike mosquitoes, horse flies cut the host and consume blood as it drips from the wound. The best defense for livestock is to move them into a barn or to cover them with lightweight summer sheets designed to stop biting flies and mosquitoes.