Outdoors: Some horseflies, deerflies and greenheads are out for blood

With the intense heat and humidity of mid-summer, horseflies, deerflies and greenheads have all emerged with a vengeance. While males innocuously feed only on plant juices and can actually help pollinate certain flowers, females are focused on sucking blood to provide the nourishment they need to produce their eggs.The females’ mouths are stabbing weapons with six chisel-like blades with serrated edges. Moving side-to-side, they enlarge the wound and increase the blood flow. […]