Yes Susan,it has been a banner year for deer flies here in NE.PA.There have been days that I was literally swarmed by them while trying to do some gardening.I think the only other time that I've seen them this bad was on a camping trip to N.Quebec. The deerflies seemed to be more vicious than the mosquito population, and that seems to be the case this yr.
Some of them are really aggressive,and start to drill almost instantaneously upon landing.

I've been working on a oversized animal trap (for a huge groundhog) in my garage/shop. I have screens in the doors and windows,and it usually is fairly comfortable inside,even when it is very hot. I had the large roll-up door open for a couple of hours,and it was'nt till much later that I noticed the window screens at the opposite end of the shop had hundreds of horse flies--- all diffferent sizes and colors, trapped on the screens.Maybe I should have opened the windows and left them free
because not one has come near me while working outdoors.Anyway I picked them up w/ the shopvac the next morning.And the damn deer flies that came in were chasing me around and biting me until 10:30P at nite. So I am not sure why the horseflies have not been zoning in on me ! I should keep quiet, my luck the newspaper would read man attacked by swarm of giant horseflies.
Anyway Susan I was going to post the same ques. the past couple of weeks but I didn't take the time. Good luck w/ the upgrades to the old
farmhouse, where is it ,PA or NY ?
ps. great biopage/
joe

the one thing that i have noticed is that within mere seconds of walking out the door, there is a deer fly or a horse fly. i swear that they are just lying in wait, keeping an eye out for any door to open before zooming in.

the only relief is to wear Off! Deep Woods, which i really don't like to do. but without it, i can't even mow the lawn without getting bitten all over. for short trips (putting out trash or going to the mailbox), i won't leave the house without a baseball cap, which can quickly be yanked off to function as a flyswatter.

i'm lucky not to have had any in the house. i think i would go absolutely nuts.

They're really not a problem in the house, as they seem to become confused and just attach themselves to the window. I learned the hard way not to use a fly swatter on them (blood!), so I just remove them with a tissue.

I've been finding lots of lightning bugs in the house, too, this year. I never kill these, though...just put them back outside. They've been so prolific these past few weeksÂit's like an enchanted garden out there at night. When I turn out the lights to go upstairs to bed I can usually see one or two glowing in the living room.

Susan

Major deerfly levels this year in Bucks county. They don't usually come out until August by me, but this year June was lousy with them. I've seen deer walking around with five or six deerflies attached to their backs, biting away. Poor Bambi, it must hurt like heck.

And my horse is miserable, we had to get her a full-coverage fly suit this year... hood, leggings, sheet with neck and belly flaps. She looks like an equine astronaut and is still grumpy about the flies despite our efforts.

yes from Michigan, they are terrible! I have done a lot of research on the subject and finding success in the blue cup method.
1.Get some of those royal blue cups from the discount store party and use a push pin to attach them upside down to the stick.
2. Spray a clear adhesive like tanglefoot on the top and sides of the cup.

carry this over your head as you would a flag and walk your property. They will attack the cups in packs. Deer Fies are not attracted by smell but by color and movement. They wait in the tree's and ambush you when you walk by attacking the cup. When they close in we wave the cups and they land and get stuck.

We may look silly walking around with blue cups but we average 20 to 50 flies a walk per cup.
You can also attach these to the back of your riding lawn mower, as long as they are placed higher than your head you should be a lot more comfortable.

The population is shrinking and not nearly as bad as it was and every one I catch stops the breading of hundreds more.

Zippp, we don't often see someone from Michigan on the Pennsylvania Gardening forum, but you're more than welcome, especially when you share a good idea like that one. I haven't noticed too many deer flies yet this year, but if their numbers increase I'll try your method to make their numbers decrease. Thanks!

obviously you haven't heard of "ByeBye DeerFly" http://thedeerfly.com. It is a mixture of 100% essential oils. July 2008 it was independently and successfully tested by Jamie Heal of the U.of Guelph Canada through his company Arturus Testing.
He said "In terms of biting, the product performed extremely well. Circling behaviour was also reduced."
This was after he had commented, "repellents are not effective against these deer and large biting flies""Deet-based products will repel deer flies for about 10 minutes"

I am a family Md. I came across this formula at a dinner party. Jennifer Lane, a true back to nature, no-deet for-me herbalist concocted a mosquito repellent. She was bragging about one day horseback riding, everyone was being driven back to the stables. Finally the trailmasters suggest they return too except he noticed the deer flies were not circling her or her horse. I couldn't believe my ears. As a runner and golfer I can't go out certain times of the year. Try putting with these pests circling you. Since then, we have modified the original formula, but it works great on dogs cats horses, cows, donkeys, gardeners, hunters, fishermen construction workers, hikers etc.
ByeBye DeerFly was formerly named HorseScents since that was the original market.
Finally, as hard to believe as it is, they will circle 2 or 3 times land, then leave. No more circling. Two drops to the back of your head or hat is all you need. dogs, cats horses, two drops at either end.
As remarkable as it seems, contact Arturus Testing for an independent evaluation or email me at info@thedeerfly.com

I'm in southern NH and they have been worse than I've ever seen them in 20 years, so this seems to be a widespread plague.

I'm in NW Wisconsin. The deer flies seem to be at the top of the food chain and rule the land this year. I have a hard time even walking out to my mailbox. Absolutly horrible!!!!!