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July 23, 1987 - Living With the Bloodsuckers of SummerThe Suffolk Times /July23, 1'9f37' mayd9A Living With the Bloodsuckers of Summer By PAUL STOUTENBURGH My wife and I were standing out by the pasture fence watching the cows munch away on some hay we gave them to supplement their parched pasture, when all of a sud- den one of them bolted away and headed for the barn. What had hap- pened was a big horsefly had pierced the tough hide to feed on the blood of the cow. Like the green flies of the beach and the pesky mosquitoes and gnats, only the females bite to draw blood. I became acquainted many, many years ago with horseflies when I worked on a farm upstate one sum- mer. It was part of my training at the Ag School at Farmingdale where each student had to experience on- hands techniques of farming. Of course, there were tractors, trucks and equipment related to farm opera- tions at the Ag School, but the school wanted each of us to experience past as well as present methods used in farming. This same concept is fol- lowed today in the Navy and Coast Guard where their cadets take cruises on the tall ships of yesterday. On one particular hot August day we had to use a horse and wagon to get some bales of hay from up on one of the back hillsides. Not knowing too much about horses, we sort of let the horses take the lead and trot along at their own speed. The only problem was a big horsefly about an inch in length lit on the rump of one of the horses and started to bite. Well, a stick of dynamite couldn't have had more effect on that team of horses, for they took off, kicking and running right for the barn, and not stopping till they got there. How we ever held on, I don't remember but it was a wild ride! From that time on, whenever we worked with the horses we took a long, switch along just in case we saw another horsefly. Mosquito Pest Worldwide Of all the pesky insects man has to contend with, the mosquito is proba- bly the most troublesome. Here on Long Island we don't have to worry too much about mosquitoes transmit- ting deadly diseases such as yellow fever or malaria but in the warmer parts of the world and the tropics these two killers still prevail and the mosquito is the carrier. I know about such problems as malaria for as a young enlisted man in the service Focus on Nature down in New Guinea I had my round with this difficult disease. With all the salt- and freshwater areas here on Long Island mos- quitoes can sometimes be a major pest; however, natural predators such as fish and aquatic insects usu- ally keep the population down pretty well. Rarely do they get out of control and when they do Vector, the mos- quito commission, is ready and able to control them. What's particularly gratifying lately is that natural con- trols are being used in preference to the old chemical controls which did so much damage to good as well as bad organisms. My goldfish are my predators that keep the mosquito lar- vae down in our pond. I believe the pesky gnat has taken over more this year than the mos- quito. It is hard to remember a year when they were such a nuisance. If you live near the creek or bay, they are particularly troublesome for they breed in wet areas. In the northern woods they are called no- see -ums for the gnat is so small it is almost invis- ible. How such a tiny insect can cause man such discomfort is hard to imagine. Man in his high -tech world cannot match this tiny bundle of ter- ror that seems to come from nowhere. They swarm about at night, in the early morning and at dusk to make life miserable. Gnats + Camping = Misery I first ran into these no- see -ums when, as kids, we went camping. In those days few people were on our beaches and we thought nothing of building a fire at "the point" and camping out. The weather must have been much the same as we have just experienced, wet in the early spring and then a dry spell. I can remember trying to live with hoards of gnats at dusk around the fire as we heated our canned beans and roasted "mic- kies" (potatoes) and later tried to sleep. At one point we all ran down to "the channel" and went skinnydip- ping to get away from the gnats. How cool and wonderful the water felt. I remember the phosphorescence in the water rolling off our bodies when we stood up and how the beautiful greenish -blue lights of the bigger inn END OF BAYVIEW ROAD Vig SOUTHOLD comb jellies glowed when we hit OPEN WEDNESDAY SUNDAY Closed Mon. Et Tues. f• them while swimming. Those were 727 -8437 enchanted evenings and carefree days. :­. When we got back to our campfire and tried to dry off, the gnats seemed to be waiting for us with even more f'':.: ,....•. ,} vengeance. We could get away from them by standing in the smoke of the fire, but then we could hardly V breathe. Later we tried hiding under the covers and thought we had out- witted them but as soon as any ten- der part slipped out from under the covers, it was again under attack. , Somehow we made it through the night. It would be unheard of to re- turn home defeated. By next morn- ing, red -eyed from the smoke of the fire, red - skinned from the laborious attacks of the mosquitoes and gnats, we tried to make breakfast. Bacon HORSEFLY - -Ask anyone Who is and eggs smelled great, but there around horses Or cattle about was always that sprinkling of sand horseflies and they'll tell you Of a in every mouthful. Yet for all of it we huge fly that drives animals would never have given up those camping days. crazy. It can inflict a nasty bite Luckily gnats disappear when the and draw blood. breezes come up and that morning we trucked home no worse for the over, much to the disappointment of wear. Today there is a wide variety my grandson Robby. He's just gotten of sprays, lotions and sticks that can a new collecting net which he tries be used to keep the pesky no -see- - out every night on them. A few ums away. But no matter what man weeks ago it would have been simple does, nature always seems to be able for the woods seemed like a twinkl- to, in the long run, outwit him. And ing Christmas tree with these fas- at a clambake in our backyard this cinating blinkers all about. Man has past week our sprays, lotions and never created light without heat and sticks only eliminated half of them. yet nature in its mysterious way The rest -- well you know what gnats with the firefly has done just that. are like. Scientists are still trying to unveil Our season for fireflies is almost the fireflies' secrets. Venerat y va y -ne inn END OF BAYVIEW ROAD Vig SOUTHOLD Ill �� OPEN WEDNESDAY SUNDAY Closed Mon. Et Tues. 765 -3344 _ 727 -8437 LOOK FOR SIGN AT THE CHEVRON STATION • RESERVATIONS SUGGESTED OPEN WEDNESDAY THURSDAY, 5 to 9 • FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, 5 to closing • SUNDAY, no— t, Make Friday and Saturday Your Nights Out! LIVE DANCE BAND THE BEST ON THE NORTH FORK — NIGHT CLUB STYLE! Frank Marino is back on a limited engagement every Friday and Saturday night. 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