As of: February 28, 2024, 2:19 p.m
By: Martina Lippl
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Black flies actually look harmless.
But the insects bite quickly and cause unbearable itching.
© Dorian D. Doerge
Blackfly bites can be dangerous for humans and animals.
Researchers warn: The annoying insects are becoming increasingly widespread.
Frankfurt – Black flies don’t bite, they bite.
The bloodsuckers attack cattle, horses and sheep in the pasture.
But people are also among their victims.
A team of scientists fears that climate change could increase the number of dangerous species in Germany.
This is shown by a study in the journal
Science of the Total Environment.
Aggressive bloodsuckers – black flies on the rise in Germany
According to the research team, “medically relevant species” in particular could become increasingly common as a result of advancing global climate and land use change.
As part of the study, researchers from Goethe University and the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center in Frankfurt modeled the spatial distribution patterns of black flies in Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony for the first time.
They divided the twelve most common of the 57 black fly species in Germany into three groups:
Blackfly species that live in headwaters
Black fly species that live over different landscapes
Blackfly species that live on larger lowland rivers
According to researchers, dangerous black fly species are increasing
In particular, the lowland species of black flies are characterized by a higher tolerance to man-made changes and could be promoted by the change.
“Future higher temperatures could lead to shortened development times, to more generations per year and thus to a more frequent occurrence of black flies overall,” said lead author Sarah Cunze from the Goethe University Frankfurt in a statement.
Why are black flies actually dangerous for people and animals?
Black flies (Simuliidae) are only two to six millimeters long and look like a small housefly.
However, the insects are particularly unpleasant.
According to the researchers, they are characterized by particularly aggressive stinging behavior towards mammals and humans and often occur in large numbers.
Female animals use sharp “teeth” to scrape the skin of their victims in order to suck blood.
With the blackfly saliva, anticoagulant and anesthetic substances get into the wound, explains Prof. Dr.
Sven Klimpel from the University of Frankfurt.
This can cause allergic reactions such as redness, swelling and bruising in some people.
Bacterial infections are also possible.
Black flies can transmit infectious diseases
“Black flies are also vector-competent, meaning they are able to transmit pathogens that cause infectious diseases through their bite,” says Klimpel.
The best-known pathogen transmitted by black flies is the nematode Onchocerca volvulus, which is native to the African continent and can cause so-called river blindness.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1.15 million people worldwide have suffered vision loss as a result of the disease.
The research team wants to use laboratory tests to determine whether black flies in Europe can transmit certain pathogens of infectious diseases.
Dengue cases on Lake Garda (Italy) last summer showed that even exotic mosquitoes can transmit exotic diseases here in Europe.
The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) – “the deadliest animal in the world” – is spreading further and further north and west as a result of climate change.
(ml/dpa)