Subject: Is this a deer fly?
Geographic location of the bug: Elicott City, MD
Date: 07/31/2018
Time: 10:34 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: A friend of mine spotted this little B@#$%^d on his car. I sort of remember this as a deer fly from my childhood in the northern midwest, but never saw one on the east coast. If I remember correctly, a bite from these guys will raise a respectable welt.
He said it was HUGE for a fly, maybe 3/4 inch?
Thanks for the help.
How you want your letter signed: Ray Oberg
Dear Ray,
This is a Black Horse Fly, not a Deer Fly, but Horse Flies and Deer Flies are both in the family Tabanidae, so they do resemble one another. Deer Flies and Horse Flies are both biting Flies, but only the females bite and suck blood, and the bite is reported to be quite painful. This is a spectacular image of a female Black Horse Fly, Tabanus atratus.