From Rogers Park to Calumet Park, many people in the Chicago area are reporting a surge in flies.<\/p>\n
Are there more flies, especially ones that bite?<\/b><\/p>\n
The public health departments of Chicago and Illinois don\u2019t track biting flies. But anecdotally, they seem ubiquitous. Social media is buzzing with people lamenting getting attacked by flies everywhere from Belmont Harbor to Logan Square.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday at a park in West Town I got swarmed by like seven flies after sitting on the ground for less than five minutes with my dog. Those bites are no joke,\u201d wrote one Reddit user this week.<\/p>\n
Another Reddit user had to leave Oak Street Beach, \u201cbecause there were hundreds of flies that kept landing on me and staying on my skin. Felt like tiny needles. I\u2019ve never experienced this at the beach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lifeguards at lakefront beaches have been spotted wielding flyswatters and flies are swarming dogs on walks.<\/p>\n
Why are there more flies?<\/b><\/p>\n
Very wet and hot weather<\/a> in recent months could be a factor.<\/p>\n This summer, the Chicago area has seen some of the most severe storms<\/a> in recent years. It has also been very hot, with several heat waves<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wet and warm conditions are typically good for breeding insects. But Nina Salem, founder of the Insect Asylum in Avondale, said favorable weather conditions vary for different species.<\/p>\n Yet Salem noted that she and other wildlife rehabilitators have been seeing a big uptick of \u201cfly strikes.\u201d That\u2019s when flies lay eggs on animals such as squirrels and raccoons. After hatching, flies burrow into animals, alive and dead.<\/p>\n Salem cautioned against washing any affected animals because water will trigger hatching of eggs, which look like white rice. <\/b>If someone spots a fly strike on wildlife, they should contact a permitted wildlife rehabilitator for assistance, Salem said.<\/p>\n What kind of flies are we likely seeing? <\/b><\/p>\n There are many kinds of biting flies, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the stable fly is a likely culprit because it peaks in late summer and early fall. It\u2019s gray with four dark stripes behind the head. This bloodsucker \u201cwill fly several miles to bite livestock (hence the name), pets and people,\u201d said the health department\u2019s website. \u201cThey typically bite in early morning or late afternoon and often attack the ankles, inflicting a sharp, stabbing pain.\u201d<\/p>\n Stable fly larvae \u201clive in and eat decaying vegetation that washes up along the shore,\u201d according to the National Park Service<\/a> in Michigan\u2019s Pictured Rocks. They don\u2019t transmit disease to humans, but \u201care annoying enough to drive people away from beaches.\u201d<\/p>\n Stable fly outbreaks have occurred along the shores of Lake Michigan, Chris Stone, medical entomologist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, wrote in an email. \u201cThis species is considered to be more abundant in years with high rainfall. So a peak this year would make some sense,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Other biting flies include deer flies, which are most abundant in the spring, as well as horse flies. Some horse flies are entirely black, while \u201cgreenheads\u201d are light brown with shiny green eyes. Larvae live in water or moist locations.<\/p>\n Are fly bites especially painful?<\/b><\/p>\n They can be.<\/p>\n Stable flies suck blood through a pointed proboscis. \u201cThey have bayonetlike mouthparts with rasping teeth at the tip that they use to cut through or abrade the skin to create a pool of blood on which they feed,\u201d Stone explained.<\/p>\n Deer and horse flies bite with \u201cscissor-like mouthparts that cut into skin, causing blood flow which the flies lap up,\u201d according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. This crude blood sucking can be especially painful.<\/p>\n What are officials doing about the flies?<\/b><\/p>\n Chicago Park District \u201chas not received an influx of concerns regarding the presence of biting flies, mosquitos and other insects in our parks,\u201d Michele Lemons, director of communications, wrote in an email.<\/p>\n The park district said it hasn\u2019t seen park use drop.<\/p>\n \u201cIn fact, for many of our programs, we saw an increase in participation this summer,\u201d said Lemons.<\/p>\n But on Friday morning, the Lake Forest Parks and Recreation<\/a> department treated Forest Park Beach with an \u201cEPA-approved product.\u201d<\/p>\n The department said on Facebook<\/a>, \u201cWhile we can all agree our beach is amazing, the latest increase in fly activity is not!\u201d<\/p>\n Indiana Dunes National Park warned about an outbreak of biting flies on Facebook, according to WBBM News Radio<\/a> in Indiana. Park staff noticed a surge in biting flies on some eastern beaches about a week ago. <\/p>\n On Thursday, the Illinois Department of Public Health said it\u2019s working on updating guidelines on managing flies and bites.<\/p>\n What can I do?<\/b><\/p>\n Most insect repellent doesn\u2019t work on stable flies. Since they target legs and ankles, the National Park Service<\/a> recommended wearing long pants and socks \u2014 not ideal for the beach.<\/p>\n In any case, stable flies can pierce through clothing, according to fly control company Spalding Labs<\/a>.<\/p>\n Salem noted that parasitic wasps can eat flies. But if fly predators aren\u2019t handy, she and Stone suggested treating clothes with permethrin, a chemical insecticide.<\/p>\n How long will this last?<\/b><\/p>\n A stable fly\u2019s lifespan<\/a> is 20 to 30 days. In the U.S., their peak season is July through September. But they can remain into October in warmer regions.<\/p>\n