Biting beach flies: There's little you can do, but here are a few tips

Shannon Marvel McNaught, Delaware News Journal
·3 min read

"How are the flies at the beach today?"

Social media is rife with people hoping to find out the answer to that question at this time of year, and the answer is often "bad."

There are numerous species of pesky biting flies to battle on the Delaware beaches, according to the Nature Conservancy's regional director of ecological management, Deborah Landau. Their bites are painful and leave welts. They can ruin an otherwise perfect beach day.

Here are a few tips to keep them at bay - no pun intended.

Flies are more likely to bite in sunny areas, so seek out shade, such as under an umbrella, to avoid them.
Flies are more likely to bite in sunny areas, so seek out shade, such as under an umbrella, to avoid them.

How to avoid them

Horse flies are the biggest biting flies you'll frantically swat at on the Delaware beaches, followed by the aggressive deer flies. The little black ones are from the family simuliinae; people call them "black flies" or "buffalo flies." Finally, there are the tiny biting midges, or "no-see-ums."

Lots of people swear by bizarre deterrents - Avon Skin So Soft, Listerine, Windex, mint. Do any of them actually work?

"I don't think any of them have been proven, but if it's not dangerous and you want to try it, try it," Landau said.

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There's bug spray, of course, but it just doesn't seem to work as well on flies as it does on mosquitoes, and if you're swimming, you have to constantly reapply. Spraying an area is also ineffective, according to Landau, due to wind.

The best advice for dealing with them is to simply stay home when the wind is blowing from the west, Landau said. An eastward wind will blow them toward the beach, whereas a westward wind will blow them away from it.

No need to look up wind directions - there's an app for that. Download Delaware Surf Fishing's "Damn Fly Meter," which rates the current level of flies at Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina beaches. It's available only for Androids right now, but owner Rich King said it is expected to be available for iPhones next month. You can also access the meter on the web.

Drying off as soon as you get out of the water and a light-colored swimsuit can help keep biting flies at bay.
Drying off as soon as you get out of the water and a light-colored swimsuit can help keep biting flies at bay.

But what if you're already at the beach?

Flies are less likely to attack in shady places, according to Landau, so staying under the umbrella will help. They also prefer wet skin, so dry off as soon as you get out of the water. They're attracted to dark colors, she said, so a light-colored swimsuit is your best bet.

Why their bites are so painful

If you've ever been bitten by flies on the beach, you know how much it hurts and that they leave a nasty welt.

Only the female flies bite because they need the protein to have enough energy to produce eggs, according to Landau. Unlike mosquitoes, which have syringe-shaped mouths, flies have scissor-shaped lips, she said.

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"They literally cut into you; that's why it's so painful," she said. "They excrete something in their saliva to make the blood thinner so they can lap it up and that causes (the bite) to itch. It's terrifying close up."

As awful as that sounds, Landau has an appreciation for flies. She might be the only one.

"Flies are a very important part of the ecosystem," she said, "They're an important food source for fish and birds."

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on Sussex County and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: How to avoid pesky biting flies at the Delaware beaches