Dave Hall

I saw this very large insect on a wall of our house and would love to know
what it is, please. Is it a sawfly? That's as near as my basic book could
get. Link below:-

http://www.daviv.com/flying_bug.htm

Cheers,

Dave


--
Dave & Viv are living happily ever after in Pembrokeshire.
http://www.daviv.com Videos of badgers and foxes on our patio
and bluetits in their nestbox.

Liz

"Dave Hall" <dave@no_spam_daviv.com> wrote in message
news:3D5Ae.7682$Dq.7562@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net...
> I saw this very large insect on a wall of our house and would love to know
> what it is, please. Is it a sawfly? That's as near as my basic book
could
> get. Link below:-
>
> http://www.daviv.com/flying_bug.htm
>
> Cheers,
>
> Dave

Looks like Tabanus sudeticus - a horse-fly, a large relative of the cleg.
They're pretty spectacular. Sawflies (Sub-order Symphyta) are generally
more "waspish" in character as they're in the same Order (Hymenoptera) as
ants, bees & wasps.
The red mite is probably a red spider mite but couldn't possibly give more
detail.

HTH
Liz

Bob Hobden

"Liz" wrote after
>
> "Dave Hall" asked
>> I saw this very large insect on a wall of our house and would love to
>> know
>> what it is, please. Is it a sawfly? That's as near as my basic book
> could
>> get. Link below:-
>>
>> http://www.daviv.com/flying_bug.htm
>>
>
> Looks like Tabanus sudeticus - a horse-fly, a large relative of the cleg.
> They're pretty spectacular. Sawflies (Sub-order Symphyta) are generally
> more "waspish" in character as they're in the same Order (Hymenoptera) as
> ants, bees & wasps.
> The red mite is probably a red spider mite but couldn't possibly give more
> detail.

The bite they give is also pretty spectacular !!!! Personal experience.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

Philip

Nice website Dave, but don't convert the vidoes to WMV. I could convert
them to MPEG4 (playable on Mac, Linux and Windows using any mpeg 4 player
including divx, quicktime, realplayer and presumably windows media player)
and them send them to you on a CD. It would only take a few minutes to do
as I can batch convert them all.

Philip

ned

"Liz" <invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:daqsl8$rt4$1@domitilla.aioe.org...
>
> "Dave Hall" <dave@no_spam_daviv.com> wrote in message
> news:3D5Ae.7682$Dq.7562@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net...
> > I saw this very large insect on a wall of our house and would love
to know
> > what it is, please. Is it a sawfly? That's as near as my basic
book
> could
> > get. Link below:-
> >
> > http://www.daviv.com/flying_bug.htm
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Dave
>
> Looks like Tabanus sudeticus - a horse-fly, a large relative of the
cleg.
> They're pretty spectacular.

Yes, I'd endorse all of that.

> The red mite is probably a red spider mite but couldn't possibly
give more
> detail.

'Red Spider Mite' is a generic term for several look a likes, - and a
specific plant pest.
The plant pest is really tiny and I don't think yours is that.
So, it might (!) be a 'red velvet mite' or a 'red earth mite'.
Googling either of those terms will give you some options to consider.
Or, you might (!) care to look at
http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk/spiders.html#RdVelMite

....... But a good Tabanus pic!

--
ned

http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk
last update 09.07.2005

Dave Hall

"Philip" <no_email@please.com> wrote in message
newsan.2005.07.10.17.43.08.831007@please.com...
> Nice website Dave, but don't convert the vidoes to WMV. I could convert
> them to MPEG4 (playable on Mac, Linux and Windows using any mpeg 4 player
> including divx, quicktime, realplayer and presumably windows media player)
> and them send them to you on a CD. It would only take a few minutes to do
> as I can batch convert them all.
>
> Philip

Thanks for all the replies. If I'd known it was a horsefly and could do
damage, I don't think I'd have got so close! I have two rather nasty bites
on my leg from last Wednesday and another from yesterday which were caused
but a smaller cousin of this beast.
It certainly was spectacular. I've never seen anything as big.

As for your offer, Philip; I'd be most grateful as there are 152+ videos.
You may have read that I had intended to convert them all to WMVs. What do
you use to batch convert? I have several editing and rendering progs, maybe
I could do it if I knew what to use. Perhaps you could email me directly?

Cheers,

Dave.

Bob Hobden

"Bob Hobden" wrote
>
> "Liz" wrote after
>>
>> "Dave Hall" asked
>>> I saw this very large insect on a wall of our house and would love to
>>> know
>>> what it is, please. Is it a sawfly? That's as near as my basic book
>> could
>>> get. Link below:-
>>>
>>> http://www.daviv.com/flying_bug.htm
>>>
>>
>> Looks like Tabanus sudeticus - a horse-fly, a large relative of the cleg.
>> They're pretty spectacular. Sawflies (Sub-order Symphyta) are generally
>> more "waspish" in character as they're in the same Order (Hymenoptera) as
>> ants, bees & wasps.
>> The red mite is probably a red spider mite but couldn't possibly give
>> more
>> detail.
>
> The bite they give is also pretty spectacular !!!! Personal experience.
>
Bloody hell! I've been bitten again, this time just at the side of the shin
bone, a big red mark, very hard and very hot to the touch. I can hardly walk
when I first get up from a chair, the pain until I get moving is .... rather
nasty. This is the second day I have been like this and I was bitten on
Monday afternoon, Tuesday there was just a red mark and some swelling which
intensified overnight to the point I am now.
Antihistamines don't seem to help at all. Hopefully it will be less painful
tomorrow.

Spectacular indeed. :-)

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

Liz

"Bob Hobden" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:3kajuoFtdd46U1@individual.net...
>
> "Bob Hobden" wrote
> >
> > "Liz" wrote after
> >>
> >> "Dave Hall" asked
> >>> I saw this very large insect on a wall of our house and would love to
> >>> know
> >>> what it is, please. Is it a sawfly? That's as near as my basic book
> >> could
> >>> get. Link below:-
> >>>
> >>> http://www.daviv.com/flying_bug.htm
> >>>
> >>
> >> Looks like Tabanus sudeticus - a horse-fly, a large relative of the
cleg.
> >> They're pretty spectacular. Sawflies (Sub-order Symphyta) are
generally
> >> more "waspish" in character as they're in the same Order (Hymenoptera)
as
> >> ants, bees & wasps.
> >> The red mite is probably a red spider mite but couldn't possibly give
> >> more
> >> detail.
> >
> > The bite they give is also pretty spectacular !!!! Personal experience.
> >
> Bloody hell! I've been bitten again, this time just at the side of the
shin
> bone, a big red mark, very hard and very hot to the touch. I can hardly
walk
> when I first get up from a chair, the pain until I get moving is ....
rather
> nasty. This is the second day I have been like this and I was bitten on
> Monday afternoon, Tuesday there was just a red mark and some swelling
which
> intensified overnight to the point I am now.
> Antihistamines don't seem to help at all. Hopefully it will be less
painful
> tomorrow.
>
> Spectacular indeed. :-)
>

Poor you - I now how you feel. We were out photographing Small
Pearl-bordered Fritillaries a few weeks ago and I was bitten on the hand by
something unknown. It go me three times before I realised, but was too late
to see the culprit. My hand swelled to twice the size and was very
painful - hot, red and very very itchy for about a week. Cleg bites don't
usually result in such a bad reaction (bad enough though), so maybe I was
got by a T. sudeticus. I used an antiseptic cream with added anaesthetic -
seemed to help a bit.
They're not as bad as the luminous-green eyed deer (?) flies on Silver Flowe
(Forest of Galloway) - enough to ruin a great day out looking for Azure
Hawker. You definitely need to be covered up well before venturing there
otherwise you'll be dripping blood.

The other nasty thing which goes for me are Stable flies - little s*ds seem
to hang around in the house in the evening and go for the ankles every time.
Not such a bad reaction, but still nasty. They're terribly sneaky though
and we have a mission to kill on sight in the house. Also, they leave messy
digested blood excrement all over the place - lovely!

Liz

Alaca

Liz wrote: dbpadg$lqc$1@domitilla.aioe.org,

> They're not as bad as the luminous-green eyed deer (?) flies on
> Silver Flowe (Forest of Galloway) - enough to ruin a great day out
> looking for Azure Hawker. You definitely need to be covered up well
> before venturing there otherwise you'll be dripping blood.

Chrysops relictus?

--
¨°º°¨Peter Alaca¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨

Liz

"Alaca" <P.Alaca@2075.NN> wrote in message
news:42e03549$0$11277$dbd4b001@news.wanadoo.nl...
> Liz wrote: dbpadg$lqc$1@domitilla.aioe.org,
>
> > They're not as bad as the luminous-green eyed deer (?) flies on
> > Silver Flowe (Forest of Galloway) - enough to ruin a great day out
> > looking for Azure Hawker. You definitely need to be covered up well
> > before venturing there otherwise you'll be dripping blood.
>
> Chrysops relictus?


Most probably - couldn't put a name to them this late at night.
Many thanks

Liz

David Lee

"Alaca" <P.Alaca@2075.NN> wrote in message
news:42e03549$0$11277$dbd4b001@news.wanadoo.nl...
> Liz wrote: dbpadg$lqc$1@domitilla.aioe.org,
>
>> They're not as bad as the luminous-green eyed deer (?) flies on
>> Silver Flowe (Forest of Galloway) - enough to ruin a great day out
>> looking for Azure Hawker. You definitely need to be covered up well
>> before venturing there otherwise you'll be dripping blood.
>
> Chrysops relictus?

Certainly ferocious beasties - I like the very apt name given to one of its
even more impressive relatives - the Deer Fly "Chrysops Balzaphire"!

David

Liz

"David Lee" <davidlee_malvern@dont.use.this.bit.hotmail.com> wrote in
message news:EbmdnWpvI6fHAn3fRVnygQ@eclipse.net.uk...
>
> "Alaca" <P.Alaca@2075.NN> wrote in message
> news:42e03549$0$11277$dbd4b001@news.wanadoo.nl...
> > Liz wrote: dbpadg$lqc$1@domitilla.aioe.org,
> >
> >> They're not as bad as the luminous-green eyed deer (?) flies on
> >> Silver Flowe (Forest of Galloway) - enough to ruin a great day out
> >> looking for Azure Hawker. You definitely need to be covered up well
> >> before venturing there otherwise you'll be dripping blood.
> >
> > Chrysops relictus?
>
> Certainly ferocious beasties - I like the very apt name given to one of
its
> even more impressive relatives - the Deer Fly "Chrysops Balzaphire"!
>
> David


See also
http://cache.ucr.edu/~heraty/menke.html
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...59/ai_75563131
(pop-ups)
and
http://home.earthlink.net/~johnepler/names.html

for some interesting names - C. balzaphire gets a mention.

Liz

David Lee

Liz wrote...
>> ... I like the very apt name given to one of its
>> even more impressive relatives - the Deer Fly "Chrysops Balzaphire"!

> See also
> http://cache.ucr.edu/~heraty/menke.html
> http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...59/ai_75563131
> (pop-ups)
> and
> http://home.earthlink.net/~johnepler/names.html
>
> for some interesting names - C. balzaphire gets a mention.

My original source was: http://home.earthlink.net/~misaak/taxonomy.html

Some fascinating facts - like the translation of Lycoperdon (genus of
puffball fungi) is Wolf Fart!

Paleantologists seem to get away with a lot more quirky taxonomy than other
scientists - I particularly like the Eocene parrot called Pulchrapollia -
"Pretty Polly", the Eocene Turtle Psephophorus terrypratchetti and the
fossil snake Montypythonoides riversleighensis.

David

Alaca

David Lee wrote: 65udnVibrvBWUX3fRVnyvw@eclipse.net.uk,

> My original source was:
> http://home.earthlink.net/~misaak/taxonomy.html

> [...]

That is a very interesting and funny site.

Less sound, but very funny are Edward Lear's
botanical names in:

Nonsense songs, stories, botany, and alphabets
http://www.gutenberg.org/1/3/6/4/136...-h/13647-h.htm
More nonsense, pictures, rhymes, botany
http://www.gutenberg.org/1/3/6/4/136...-h/13648-h.htm

My favourite is Manypeeplia Upsidownia.

--
¨°º°¨Peter Alaca¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨°º°¨