30 Days. 30 Bugs. Teaching kids all the YIKES about the Horn Fly…

During June, I will be offering some pretty interesting bugs to you and your kids… bugs that will excite and entertain kids while teaching them.  Each and every little word or fun piece of information is a building block to love of learning and literacy.

Come along for the YIKES!  It’s gonna be a buggah!

As the story goes, the Horn Fly got its name for its annoying habit of clustering around the horns of cattle, but the Horn Fly also likes to hang around the backs and bellies of cattle, too. Infestations of 4,000 to 10,000 flies per animal have been recorded. Now that’s a YIKES!

But don’t think human beings are exempt from the bite of the Horn Fly.  No.  The Horn Fly also has been known to feed on dogs, horses, pigs and yes, us.  YIKES! Cattle, though, remain the Horn Fly’s most tasty and important means of existence.

The Horn Fly’s real name is Haematobia irritans, and is a native of Europe.  The Horn Fly was introduced to North American from France in the 19th century and has been a problem ever since.

The Horn Fly is a small, blood-sucking fly (about half the size of a common House-fly) that infests cattle and carries disease.  Its mouth parts are long and slender.  The cattle spend much time and energy trying to shoo away the potential thousands (YIKES!) of Horn Flies that land on them and suck their blood each day. This effects heart and respiratory systems and reduces milk production.

The Horn Fly nuisance gives new meaning to the song Shoo Fly, Don’t Bother Me.

Another Horn Fly tidbit that’s worth a YIKES! – the Horn Fly lays its eggs in fresh manure.

The Horn Fly may be a super-pest, but it’s an interesting super-pest.  Kids love to learn about these super-pests, so share the Horn Fly with your kids.  It may be fun to compare the Horn Fly with the Stable Fly, or even the common House-fly.

______________________________

Join me here each day in June for 30 days. 30 Bugs. – a little fun, a little learning and a lotta YIKES!