Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi all,
Here in the Wigan areas a spate of horsefly bites has occurred again,with horrible effects.My brother-in-law has just been allowed home from hospital after 4 days treatment for an horrendous insect bite.As i write this i`m on my fourth day of hurt from a horrible bite to the bridge of my foot,(limping all the time).
I worked for a nurse last year and she stated that the powers that be are not telling us what is actually doing this as they want a quiet life,and that hundreds of people were treated for really nasty bites in this area last year .
Anything like this elsewhere ?

Regards,
Mark.

Hi KmarkSnr,

I'm not far from you in Liverpool but haven't seen any.

Next time my son goes riding I'll ask if there have been any difference in the numbers of horseflies there.

I know that a lot of the ponies have all been poorly with coughs. This is highly unusual for this yard. They actually had to stop lessons ect cos the ponies were too poorly. About 90% across the yard, including privatly owned.

I'll let you know what I find out next week when he goes.

Hi Snark,
I got a nasty bite just over a week ago. I thought I'd walked into a sharp stick or something similar - didn't notice the culprit at the time, but as I was leaving. Blood dribbling down the ankle and underneath a little puncture wound. There followed several days of extremely painful swollen ankle (after liberal application of anithistamine cream). I'm now wearing full length trousers and socks that cover my ankles when on the lottie in the evenings. Once was enough!

I've noticed a HUGE population of them, and they really are a nuisance at the minute.
They 'follow' you round the garden too.... I'm seriously considering some insect-deterrent stuff...

Hi there

Went to buy Andrew new riding boots and I asked the bloke about horseflies. He said there has been a plague of them and they have run out of the sprays and stuff and are waiting on new supplis. The supplier said that they are shifting tonnes of the products cos it is a problem all over the country. They sell spray that does for horses and humans and they can't get supplies in fast enough.

The stables have also had a bad bought of horse flu that has rampaged through the stables that the vet said was caused by the horseflies. Little Dallas has been ill for over a month now with a different strain to the others. Poor little feller. He does look miserable.

So it looks like it's all hands to the pump action sprays until further notice.

I was only thinking this morning that i had not seen many horseflies, [now that was tempting fate] but in the last hour the things have appeared from nowhere in huge numbers and biting like fury.
Such is life.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

Theres no fool like an old fool.

I expect they are thoroughbreds, Old H??!!

Very witty indeed Zena, nice to see your name back again.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

There no fool like an old fool.

I too have suffered two nasty horsefly bites this year on both ankles, very inconvenient for walking!!

Both are still healing a month later, and now I discover this helpful advice to hold a hot cup of tea against the bite as soon as possible; no really!

Apparently the heat 'cooks' the venom so reduces your bodys reaction to it, and the increased blood flow to the area helps clear away the toxins quicker too; honest!
See http://www.newscientist.com/backpage.ns ... 925332.500

Wish I'd discovered this a bit sooner....,

Deb P thats a amazing, do you think it has to be a hot cup of tea, or do you think a hot cup of coffee would suffice.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

Theres no fool like an old fool.

OOOh I don't know, I suppose if you had to try it you had better follow Doctor's orders exactly.........

Hi Debs,
I've made a note of that remedy & will try it. We have the 'horse fly' here & a lot of other nasty little *******

I was driving yesterday when something came in the car & buzzed around my head, landed above my ear, & attacked Don't think the 'hot cup of tea' would've worked in that situation

Luckily it wasn't a horsefly & was not all that painful. Ten minutes latter I couldn't really feel it.

Well, got bitten on the same blooming ankle by a horsefly AGAIN this morning watering in the greenhouse; am now trying out my own suggested cure. So will report back!

So far so good!
Only a small red mark where the bite was this morning, with the other two, they were blistering at this time, so the hot tea looks like it has worked!

Deb P, do you use Earl Grey or will any make of tea suffice.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

Theres no fool like an old fool.