Summer is here and my area seems to have an excess of flies. I can’t go on a hike without them buzzing all around me and trying to land on me. What do they want?? Sweat? There is plenty of water elsewhere. Can someone explain so I can figure out a way to dispel these demons?
In: Biology
Flies are dumb. They react only to the smell of stuff they are “programmed” to be interested in – sweat/body odors, carbon dioxide we breathe out, things like that. They follow the smell and arrive at you. They are not even trying to be annoying – when you swat them away, they flee a bit to get away from the immediate threat and then the “fly to the smell” behavior kicks in again, which is why they are so annoying. Same for biting insects like horseflies, except that they react to some additional things like dark colors and body heat.
Latest Answers