Members of the
family, Simuliidae (Diptera) of which there are more than 1,000 known
species, are small
flies, 1-5 mm in length. The common name, black fly, is somewhat of
a misnomer since many species are gray and others are light tan to
yellow in color. Adults are typically robust with a characteristic
arched or humped prothorax giving rose to the common name,"buffalo
gnat". The family Simuliidae is worldwide in distribution, extending
from the tropics to the Arctic Circle. Both sexes feed on the nectar
of flowers; only the female requires a blood meal for ovarian development.
Although a given species may prefer a particular animal host, most
will readily feed upon other host species as well. Black flies attack
man and a wide variety of domestic and wild animals and birds; others
feed only on cold-blooded animals. Many important pest species belong
to the genus Simulium.
Joeff organised to have the
basic structure welded at a Mullumbimby welding shop. We used galvanized
tube and followed the plans issued by the Queensland Government. The
trap came in sections that slotted together. We Added the plywood and
the traps.
We used aluminum strips to
attach the fly screens. The baffle part assembly took 7 hours.
The assembled trap is very heavy
and cannot easily be shifted, even by four people. So we attached two
wheels to the back and chained the front to the tractor. This way it
was quite easy to truck it into position.
We will determine the final position after
the cow (Tansy) get used to the tunnel. We may have to widen the dimensions.
The top has not yet been fitted as we want to train Tansy to get used
to passing through the tunnel first. This construction is an experiment
and there is a fair interest in seeing how it will work.
This is the damage the Buffalo Fly does to a cow. First
the fly irritated the cow so that she starts scratching. The sores
almost never heal up because the cow continues to scratch.
