The Weather Notebook: Blackflies

Blackflies
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Ahh, Spring. What could be finer than sitting back on the bleachers enjoying a cold soda on a warm afternoon and watching kids swing the bat. It'd be close to heaven if it weren't for those...

"Blackflies, well I gotta tell ya. I don't like blackflies. They're not good. They ruin the ball game".

Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton and this is The Weather Notebook. We talked with entomologist and University of New Hampshire extension professor Alan Eaton about these pesky little vampires.

AE: We're blessed with lots of species of blackflies here. In fact, here in New Hampshire we have at least 40 species, perhaps as many as 45. And part of the reason that we have so many is that we have an abundance of the clear, running water that they require to live in.

That clear, running water is where the blackflies begin first as eggs, then grow into larvae and pupae before flying away as full grown adults. They measure about a couple of millimeters in size. And only a couple species are known to bite people and it's only females that bite.

AE: Now as adults, once they've emerged and start flying around, they're day active. So, they'll be flying around looking for blood, which the females must have in order to lay a batch of eggs. She's got to have that nutrition in the blood. SAnd if it's really cool then they're not going to be very active. If it's really warm, they're going to be really active. When the sun goes down they go sit in bushes and sit still.

Until the next ballgame.

"Baseball, Hotdogs, and Blackflies. That's Spring."

The Weather Notebook is a production of the Mount Washington Observatory and is sponsored generously by Subaru of America and The National Science Foundation. Doug Sanborn contributed to this report.