Walkhighlands

Anybody know much about keds?

I've been aware of these annoying flies for a number of years, but I've only recently discovered what they are. And worse, what they do! (Find deer. Land on deer. Shed wings. Complete life cycle living on deer, sucking its blood. Eeech..)

I'm really not too hot with parasites, and these things give me the heeby-jeebies. They're so hard to brush off you, and they seem determined to crawl up your sleeve or down the back of your neck... I once came home from the hill, took a shower and one fell out of my hair - AAARGH!

Wikipedia, bless it, tells me that they tend not to make mistakes with their hosts (thank god), but they have been known to bite humans. So far I've been lucky, and all they've done is really creep me out, but has anybody had any worse experiences of them?

(I probably shouldn't even ask - I might never go out again!)

There are loads of these about at the moment!! I've had them bad in Glen Etive but just recently in Strath Croe underneath Beinn Fhada they were awful! Pulling them off me at the rate of about 1 every minute. They seem more troublesome than midges when you're moving as they can keep up with you, midges can't. They congregate at the back of my neck but whilst they are annoying, if they do bite, they don't really leave any itchy or lumpy bitemarks the way midges and horseflies do. Pulled one out of my hair on the drive home too......gross!!

Just read a wee bit more online about them and I'm getting grossed out all over again! Apparently they do bite and can leave nasty welts!!! Hope I was just lucky not to have gotten bit!

Is that something on me? I feel like something's crawling on me!!!!

We found lot's of them around whilst doing the Forcan Ridge, Kintail the other week. They are quite annoying but we weren't aware of being bitten at any time, they just seemed to like to land on arms and necks, where the skin is perspiring.

Once slightly higher up they seemed to disperse. I think it's the fact that they look like (and are to an extent) big ticks with wings which is most disturbing.

I haven't come across these yet - hope I don't. Here's a photo I found of a close-up of one. http://500px.com/photo/44043788/deer-ked-deer-fly-lipoptena-cervi-by-sami-karjalainen

Sweet mother of god, Annie, did you HAVE to do that?!

Oh, I'm crawling. Really wish I hadn't started this thread!

AnnieMacD wrote:I haven't come across these yet - hope I don't. Here's a photo I found of a close-up of one. http://500px.com/photo/44043788/deer-ked-deer-fly-lipoptena-cervi-by-sami-karjalainen

Not seen one thank goodness They won't win any beauty contests either

We were attacked by a whole wild bunch of these last Sunday on the way up Arkle.... Nasty wee buggers! They landed everywhere but luckily didn't bite. Details of the story in my Arkle report.

I did some research in PubMed and Science Direct and didn't find anything about them transmitting Lymes disease, so at least in this corner we are safe.

I had these all over me when I did the walk out of the Eastern Fannichs round. I found rather than trying to ping or lift them of the best method was to roll them in a circular motion and flick hard using my palm...down, round and away, kind of in a "U" shape. worked a treat.

BlackPanther wrote:We were attacked by a whole wild bunch of these last Sunday on the way up Arkle.... Nasty wee buggers! They landed everywhere but luckily didn't bite. Details of the story in my Arkle report.

I did some research in PubMed and Science Direct and didn't find anything about them transmitting Lymes disease, so at least in this corner we are safe.

I was on arkle on friday and was getting attacked too. Not sure if these are deer keds or some other bitey thing. Didnt shed their wings but were definitely nipping through the clothing if left for any time. Pretty persistent too, came right back at me when I flicked them off. Is cleggs just a catch all term for different types? I've experienced what I think are keds before and they are much worse. Burrowing into your hair etc and seem to be in much bigger swarms

Think your mixing up clegs/horseflies (like a big fly that do bite and can cause a nasty reaction in some folk) and keds that look like big ticks which hI've never seen bite.

prog99 wrote:Think your mixing up clegs/horseflies (like a big fly that do bite and can cause a nasty reaction in some folk) and keds that look like big ticks which hI've never seen bite.

BTW has anyone seen a cleg so far this year, none yet in my corner of West Oxfordshire. (Tempting fate, I'll get bitten today )

They're annoying, but nothing to be overly concerned about. Ticks on the otherhand.

I'll just have to recommend this......yet again

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/feb/20/why-the-zebra-got-its-stripes-to-deter-flies-from-landing-on-it

I have bought a zebra blouse, but not yet ventured out in it. They do Tees for men as well (tho' this seems to come from the US

https://www.amazon.com/liangjinyan-Texture-Stripes-Printed-Graphics/dp/B07G127KX1

Body paint might be a starter.

Sgurr wrote:I'll just have to recommend this......yet again

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/feb/20/why-the-zebra-got-its-stripes-to-deter-flies-from-landing-on-it

I have bought a zebra blouse, but not yet ventured out in it. They do Tees for men as well (tho' this seems to come from the US

https://www.amazon.com/liangjinyan-Texture-Stripes-Printed-Graphics/dp/B07G127KX1

Body paint might be a starter.

Oh! Go the whole hog.....