Twenty True Blackfly Facts


1. Blackflies eat algae and plant particles during larval stage; blood, nectar, and honeydew when they are adults.

2. The number of days it takes a female to develop eggs after a full blood meal is 4 - 7 days.

3. A Clutch is 60 - 700 eggs. A female may develop 2 or 3 batches.

4. Egg development takes between 4 - 30 days depending on the temperature.

5. Lifespan can be up to one year. On average a female lives 4 weeks, a male much less.

6. Predators of blackflies are bats, small birds, flycatchers, midges, dragonflies, damselfly, swallows.

7. A full blood meal is 2 mg or 0.00006 ounces.

8. A Blackfly can fly at 1 mile per hour.

9. Blackflies appeared in our evolution about 30 million years ago.

10. There are between 12,000 - 13,000 blackfly species worldwide.

11. Blackflies are one of the most important pollinators of blueberries.

12. Blackflies are usually less then 1/6" long.

13. Blackflies breed in clean running water.

14. The Blackfly season is normally from about May through July

. 15. Blackflies do not normally come indoors.

16. Blackflies do not generally fly at night.

17. Blackflies do not penetrate clothing like mosquitoes.

18. Blackflies are normally inactive until the temperature is about 50 degrees.

19. There are around 40 species in Maine.

20. After five or six hot days their tender bodies tend to dry out.





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