a bizzillion tiny flies around coop

[achickenhead]

Good Morning,
I have searched the forum and web quite a bit. We have a tonne of tiny biting flies around our coop. I have read many posts about flies but I am assuming that most are talking about the garden variety house flies?

What are these flies? They might be sand flies or black flies but I have never seen so many?

I am worried about the bird - Can these hurt the chickens or do they just bother humans?

We have been using DE sparingly in the coop. Is there any alternative? I also read about the baggies with water/pennies as an enviro friendly alternative but does this only work for large "house" flies?

Any advice would be appreciated. They are so brutal and have gotten worse over the last couple of days with the rain?

Thanks

 

[BioBob]

Good Morning Chickenhead:

They sound like Black Flies to me. If I knew how to do links , I would have saved you a step, but if you Google "Black Flies" there is a wealth of information, including pics.

I used to live in Michigan, and they are the most pervasive, and annoying flies I have ever met, and when they bite they get your attention.

We were sailing across Lake Michigan, and had them trying to get into the garbage hatch in the MIDDLE of the lake (40 miles from any shoreline).

I'm not sure DE would help as what they are after is Blood. I'm sure there will be control measures at the Google sites.

Good Luck (and I don't envy you one bit).

Bob

 

[achickenhead]

Thanks Bob.

Yes - blackflies are very annoying. We deal with them all summer long up hear. Mosquitoes too!

Though I have never seen so many small blackflies in one place though

...so most likely they are going after the chickns...

are the chickens going to be okay? or can they be eaten alive too!

 

[CMV]

If they are black flies the only way to get rid of them is to remove any water sources on your property. I also use a propane powered Mosquito magnet which is very effective, but takes about a month to start seeing results. Black flies will also get caught in my fly jars that I have baited with rotting meat (sounds disgusting I know, but it works). I don't know if they are black flies, though. Are you sure they aren't No-See-Ums? I am from NH and black flies are usually an early spring phenomenon here. No-See-Ums show up during the summer. If it is those then the only option is bug spray that I know of.
Sorry I couldn't be more help.
ETA- No-See-Ums are also known as biting midges.

 

[achickenhead]

i think they are noseeums as the are so small. i didn't want to use that term as i wasn't sure people would know what i am talking about

they literally cover your body when you walk up to the coop. they do not get full like blackflies and are way smaller

i will google the term biting midges - i have only heard the term noseeums so that should help.

I also was told by my friend who is in zoonotics - blackflies do not bite when they are indoors (only mosquitoes do) and these little bas&*#@s bite inside the coop.

Thanks again
Amy

 

[achickenhead]

Will these flies hurt the chickens?

 

[invalidsession]

Quote:
I thought "No-See-Ums" were Chiggers ?

Ninja edit;
I just did a search for No-See-Ums and they are indeed flying insects, Black Midges apparantly.

 

[CMV]

Quote:
They are usually so small that even large swarms don't do damage to full-grown chickens, but they are terribly stressful for birds when they come in droves. Unfortunately, aside from topically treating birds with sprays there is not much that can be done. Remove all water sources that you can. Midges hang around near water and breed in water.