Kitchen Garden Forum

I'm not normally bothered by bites but this year, something is in the gardens that has a nasty, nasty bite to it and whatever it is likes the flavour of VPM.

Case in point: this morning I'd happily chop my right thumb off as it has swollen to twice it's normal size, is uncomfortably hot and itchy but is sore to touch and it has two obvious bite marks. Just below the elbow on the same arm, I have another nasty swelling and bite - not pleasant at all.

Never experienced anything like it - not overly happy this morning as a result

VPM
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Hi VPM,
Horse Flies are known to have some pretty drastic after effects and last year one of my daughters suffered with a really severely swollen leg after being bitten several times in a small area of her leg.
I cannot remember what it is called but I shall either remember or contact my daughter for you.
JB.

Thanks Johnboy - closer inspection does indeed show 2 smaller bites next to the main one

VPM
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Last year I was covered in bites that I put down to harvest mites. Last week I felt something nipping on my leg followed by a stinging sensation. This gradually moved up my leg. When I removed my trousers I found a single ant that must have been the culprit. It managed a total of 20 bites before I found it. By evening the bites had faded but the next day they flared up and became very angry and itchy. It took several days for them to stop itching then they left dark red marks. A week later and I am left with pale pink reminders.

Maybe Blandford Fly has migrated your way? Gives a nasty bite to anyone that swells right up, but kids really suffer and the whole extremity can swell up and they can even end up in hospital.

Westi

Hi VPM,
I do so hope your thumb is a lot better this morning.
Couldn't remember the fly and had to wait for a reply from my daughter and it was Blandford Fly and Westi has managed to beat me to it!
If you go onto Google and type in Blandford Fly you can read up on it.
I appreciate where you live and considerably more north and east of me but in Herefordshire there was a really bad outbreak of the beastie in the county last year. My daughter was staying with me when she was bitten and she could hardly walk for over a week.
JB.

Could very well be the Blandford Fly. It's been reported in various parts of the country now.
I was bitten several times a few years ago - on the ankles - whilst gardening near our pond. Holes appeared in my leg, lots of blood - and it was horrendously painful. My whole leg swelled up and red lines appeared. I felt like I had flu.

It's a horrible beasty and it appears to be thriving because of the proliferation of water features in gardens.

Apparently it can't fly very high - but, if you are bending to weed and you get bitten in the throat area it's advised to seek immediate treatment.

Thanks everyone and after googling, himself and I thing it may indeed be Blandford fly.

Thumb is still swollen, itchy and sore this morning but not as hot as it was. Thinking back, I did some spot weeding near our pond Thursday afternoon and I didn't have my gloves on because I wasn't planning to do any, just saw a clump of weeds and decided to rip 'em out

Won't be doing that again without gloves

VPM
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