Blandford fly
| Blandford fly | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Suborder: | Nematocera |
| Superfamily: | Chironomoidea |
| Family: | Simuliidae |
| Subfamily: | Simuliinae |
| Tribe: | Simuliini |
| Genus: | Simulium |
| Subgenus: | Simulium |
| Species: | S. posticatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Simulium posticatum Meigen, 1838 |
|
| Synonyms | |
The Blandford fly (Simulium posticatum) is a species of black fly, a biting insect found locally around Blandford Forum and villages bordering the River Stour in Dorset, England. Its larvae breed in the weedbeds of the slow flowing river and when the fly emerges, the female seeks a blood meal before mating. It usually bites the lower legs causing pain and swelling, after which secondary infections set in.
The Blandford fly first came to the attention of public health officials in the 1960s and reached a peak in the early 1970s. In a four-week period during the spring of 1972, some 600 people were estimated to have visited their doctors in Blandford to be treated for insect bites.[2]
In the late 1980s, Dorset County Council asked the Institute for Freshwater Ecology (now the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology), then based in Wareham, Dorset, to investigate a means of ameliorating the problem. They suggested using a biological insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), which was sprayed into the weed beds, resulting in the destruction of 80–90% of the Blandford fly larvae and a corresponding reduction in the numbers of people bitten.[3] Indeed, it is reported that the number of people bitten has dropped to less than one hundredth of those affected in 1989.[4] Recently, the fly has begun affecting people in other parts of southern England, including built up areas, probably encouraged by water features. Singer Mollie King and golfer Ian Poulter have both been affected by bites, with the latter having to pull out of the French Open
[edit] Distribution
The Blandford fly has been spotted in the following countries: Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Latvia, Germany & Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Southern England, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, European Russia & Western Siberia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Peter H. Adler & Roger W. Crosskey (2009) (in English). World Blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae): A Comprehensive Revision of the Taxonomic and Geographical Inventory. pp. 109. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/blackflies/SimulidIntro.html.
- ^ "The Blandford Fly". Guide to Life, The Universe and Everything. BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A6756519. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
- ^ Evaluation of Bti - Advisory Committee on Pesticides 1994
- ^ "Blandford fly bites minimised following river treatment". North Dorset District Council. 2004-05-27. http://www.north-dorset.gov.uk/news/blandford_fly_may04.doc.
[edit] External links
- Blandford fly bites by Tim Locke. WebMD/Boots. Accessed April 2011
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