Another cleg thread....

[jeremiah]

A friend keeps getting bitten in her garden. We have pretty much identified the culprit as the Black-horned cleg Haematopota crassicornis. She gets really bad reactions to the bites - last year her she got bitten on the shin - I'd never seen a plum-coloured leg before; today it's a very swollen hand.

I believe they must be breeding in her garden, and I've tried unsuccessfully to find a clear description of the life cycle or even a picture of the larva. All I can find are vague references to "damp places". She doesn't have damp places in her garden, though she does have containers that she uses to soak plant pots in, these often have standing water in them.

Do they breed in water, like mosquitoes? Or could they breed under well-watered flower-pots?

[Geoff F]

There are quite a few 'biters' but Clegs are certainly possible. A photo or good description would help to make sure.

As I understand the 'horse fly' general family history; their larvae live in damp soil or decaying damp vegetation. But adult females (males don't bite) can travel some distance looking for a suitable victim.

Some people do react worse than others and need medical treatment.

[jeremiah]

No photo - the one she saw got squashed pdq.

Her description (the printable version) - small, black, wasp-like, curved, makes slits not holes, draws blood and bloody well hurts......

I was hoping to find out where the larvae could be, the only thing I found says:

"Eggs are usually laid in large, layered clusters of 100-1000 on vegetation or other objects overlying water or moist soil. The larvae, which are aquatic, semi-aquatic, or terrestrial, hatch from the eggs and drop to the water or soil below where they become voracious predators of other invertebrates or small vertebrates."

The "aquatic, semi-aquatic, or terrestrial" bit isn't exactly precise.
And what "small vertebrates" would the larvae attack? Baby amphibians?

If they aren't coming from her garden they must be really picky - this is a mid-terrace in London, and I've never been bitten, or her neighbours as far as I know.

[Jim Ford]

I regard all living creatures as fellow citizens of our planet. Even ones I'm not particularly fond of I'll 'tip my hat' at them and wish them well. But clegs ........!!

Jim

[Geoff F]

If they are dark and 'wasp like' also check out the Tabanus family and the Biting Midges (Serromyia species).

Here is one of the latter species that I photographed



Apparently they usually bite worst in the early evening.

Once again, only the females bite but they give a painful bite. During mating they even eat the male!