Deer flies pose nuisance to berry- and mushroom pickers

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Mosquitoes may be traditionally regarded as Finland’s summer bane, but the increasingly widespread deer ked or deer fly (Lipoptena cervi) can do even more damage.
      The louse flies, which are parasites of elk, deer and other bovine animals, pack a nasty bite, and can cause an itchy rash that hangs around for months on end.
     
According to an article in a recent issue of the Finnish Medical Society’s journal Duodecim, a few deer flies in the hair or trapped under clothing can provoke a rash.
      The flies are particularly common towards the end of August and into September, just at the time when people are out in the woods looking for wild mushrooms and berries.
     
Awkwardly, there is no repellent that works effectively against them, they are unfazed by a good many insecticides, and they manage to find their way towards warm skin through the narrowest of gaps in clothing.
      Deer flies do not seem to cope well with cold spells in the absence of their host-animal, and windy weather also hinders their movements, as they are not particularly adept at flying.
      The insect is widely distributed in southern parts of the country, and there are also indications that it is spreading to Finnish Lapland.


Links:
  Deer Ked Research Consortium

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