As of: February 28, 2024, 1:17 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
Black flies don't bite, they bite.
The little insect is anything but harmless.
Researchers in Germany are alarmed.
Kassel – They look like small black houseflies and are two to six millimeters long: black flies (Simuliidae).
The insect bites are painful and can be dangerous.
Scientists warn of an increase in aggressive bloodsuckers in Germany.
Some seem to feel particularly comfortable.
Black flies on the rise in Germany: Scientists warn of bloodsuckers with sharp “teeth”
There are 57 species of black flies in Germany, all of which feed on blood.
Species that are dangerous to humans and animals reproduce particularly well in this country.
They are characterized by aggressive stinging behavior and occur in very high numbers.
These are the results of a study published in the journal
Science of the Total Environment
.
“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 of the study Sarah Cunze from the Goethe University Frankfurt, according to a statement.
Why are black flies so dangerous?
They use their sharp “teeth” to scrape the skin of their victims to suck blood.
The blackfly bite is larger than a normal mosquito bite.
And the saliva of the blackfly is tough: Allergic reactions such as redness, swelling and even bruising are the result.
In the worst case, a bite can cause allergic shock in people.
Bacteria can also get into the wound.
The risk of infection and even blood poisoning increases.
This is why allergic reactions caused by black fly bites are possible
Through the bite of the black fly, anticoagulant and anesthetic substances are injected, explains a co-author of the study, Prof. Dr.
Sven Klimpel from the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center.
Black flies can transmit infectious diseases
According to the scientists, the increase in black flies, especially the so-called lowland species in Germany, is also dangerous for another reason.
“Black flies are also vector-competent, meaning they are able to transmit pathogens that cause infectious diseases through their bite,” says Klimpel.
Black flies in Africa, for example, can transmit parasites (roundworms) that cause so-called river blindness.
The researchers want to investigate whether and which infectious diseases could be transmitted by black fly species in Europe based on the results of their study on their spread in Germany.
The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is therefore feared.
The diurnal mosquito transmits dengue fever.
Last summer there were shocking cases on Lake Garda.
Black flies in Germany – one species spreads particularly well
A team of 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.
To do this, they divided the twelve most common of the 57 species living in Germany into three black fly groups:
Black flies that live in headwaters
Black flies that live over different landscapes
Black flies that live in larger lowland rivers
In the current study, the researchers predict different developments for the three groups.
Lowland black flies are characterized by a higher tolerance to man-made changes and may become more common in the future.
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