The most aggressive black fly is in this region

By Al Lowe
Contributor

Along with the universal mosquito, we in most of Ontario are afflicted with the Black Fly. There are black flies of various species all over the world, but it seems that the Laurentian Shield harbours the most violent, aggressive and persistent species as far as man in concerned.
Take some quotations from history. From Champlain “...men whose faces were so badly bitten, they could hardly see.” And Agassiz, north of Lake Superior: “One...came back a frightful specimen, blood-red rings around his eyes, his face bloody and covered with punctures.”
We have all experienced some contact with Black Flies - picnics spoiled, work interrupted, sore and itchy bites. They wiggle under the edges of clothing, up your sleeves, under your collar, behind your ears. These are favourite places for the Black Fly to bite.
Like the mosquito, the female is the one who does the biting. After she is fertilized by the male, she must have blood in order for the eggs to mature. Perhaps this is the reason that the flies are so persistent. She can look for this meal (or meals) for up to two or three weeks.
Black Flies secrete material in their mouths which prevents blood from clotting. For most people, the bites swell and itch for a while, but there are some people who are very allergic to these bites. For them the results can be very bad indeed.
The Black Fly’s mouth is designed to saw its way through your skin, and then clamp onto it. Sometimes they really do ‘take a piece of you.’
Part of the life cycle of the Black Fly is in the water. These insects always lay their eggs in running water. The eggs are stuck to a rock or a branch, and when they hatch, the larvae live on material which comes to them in the moving water.
In many tropical parts of the world, black flies carry diseases. As far as we know, that is not true here in Canada. The major problem for most of us their nuisance value. The bites in very large numbers can be dangerous because of loss of blood, and also because of infection after the flies have left. One medical expert has worked out that, if you were in the north woods with very little clothing, you could die from insect bites within about two hours or so.
You can protect yourself against these little pests exactly as you do for mosquitoes. Fog in small areas, make sure your screens are sound, and use insect repellants. These modern chemicals are the best protection for personal use.
There is a song about the Black Fly. It was written by members of a survey crew in White River. Parts of it are like this:
“The black fly, the black fly, he’s everywhere
A-crawlin in your whiskers, a-crawlin in your hair,
A-swimmin in the soup and a-swimmin in the tea.
The devil take the black fly and let me be”
And: “I’ll die with the black fly a-pickin at my bones,
In North Ontario-io, in North Ontario”