Male Black Horse Fly

Subject:  LARGE WEIRD LOOKING FLY
Geographic location of the bug:  S.E. PA.
Date: 06/02/2021
Time: 02:31 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  IN ALL MY 72 YEARS AND QWORLD TRAVELS, I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS ONE . . . . LOOKS LIKE A LARGE HORSEFLY
How you want your letter signed:  HAL SLACKWAY

Male Black Horse Fly

Dear Hal,
You are absolutely correct that this is a Horse Fly.  More specifically it is a Black Horse Fly,
Tabanus atratus, and the large close set eyes indicate it is a male.  Despite its size, only female Horse Flies bite and feed on blood.  This male is perfectly harmless.

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