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You can imagine the deer fly as a tick with wings. Its bite is largely harmless to humans, but it is painful and insidious.
Frankfurt – The deer fly, also known as the “flying tick” due to its characteristics, is spreading more and more in Germany. However, it is far less of a threat to humans than its namesake. Two-legged creatures are not actually its chosen victims. However, the parasite’s bite can still hurt months later – and can come out of nowhere.
Normally active in late summer: “Flying tick” is spreading – and earlier and earlier
Reports of unwanted encounters are increasing, particularly in insect forums online. Experts believe that the fact that the deer fly (Lipoptena cervi), which is actually quite rare, is suddenly crossing people’s paths much more frequently is due to climate change. The insect has always been native to Germany, but could become active earlier in the future.
“The deer fly is usually active in August and September,” explains Dr. Lidia Chitimia-Dobler of pharmacy magazine“If spring in Germany becomes a little warmer and drier in the future due to climate change, it may become active a few weeks earlier,” warned the parasitologist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Immunology, Infection and Pandemic Research in Pemsberg. The same is feared for the unpleasant “giant tick”, which is actually at home in much warmer climes. This would an extreme tick danger at any time of year consist.
Especially painful for humans – This is what happens when you bite
The deer fly looks for a host, bites into it and sucks blood. It prefers deer and stags, but can also attack wild boars, horses and badgers. Dog owners should be especially cautious and search their four-legged friends thoroughly after a walk. The “flying tick” likes to hide in the fur before it bites. It also hides in people’s hair, which is what makes it so insidious.
They especially like to bite people loudly Society for Insect Protection (GIS) on the neck and can bite for up to 20 minutes. This often results in painful pustules, the GIS reports. Other consequences of a deer fly bite can be:
- Inflammations
- Fever
- Purulent skin rashes
- Myocarditis (rare)
In contrast to ticks, which belong to the arachnids and can grow up to four millimeters in size, the deer fly can grow up to six millimeters in size. It has only six legs, while ticks typically have eight. The most striking difference, however, is the wings.
In these areas the deer fly lives on
The similarity of the deer fly to a tick is particularly pronounced after it has sucked blood. After the insect has bitten, it sheds its wings, sucks blood and swells up. In this state, the “deer louse” is almost indistinguishable from the tick for laypeople. “In individual cases, an allergic reaction can occur, and the redness and itching can then last for several months,” explains expert Chitimia-Dobler.
![Close-up of a deer fly (left) and a tick (right).](https://www.merkur.de/assets/images/34/945/34945423-hirschlausfliege-fliegende-zecke-blutsauger-parasit-biss-schmerzhaft-klimawandel-1SMe4MyMqLBG.jpg)
Although some ticks transmit Borrelia, almost all deer flies carry the bacterium Bartonellla schoenbuchensis. This pathogen is generally not dangerous for humans. How parasitenportal.de reported, people actually encounter deer flies in small swarms primarily in late summer on the edges of forests. However, a woman from Trier had already encountered such a “flying tick” in the spring and thought it was a spider with a rabid bite.
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