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Black Fly

anaqi

Warren Scout
I went out to feed the rabbits this morning and found lots of weird black flies all over the outside of their run. I think they are black flies, they are very slow, they don't even try to fly away when I swat them but I am concerned for the health of my rabbits.

The run is clean, Rosie and Edward tend to toilet inside there hutch and there aren't any flies inside the hutch, just all on the outside of the run. This is a photograph of one of them.

Is there anything I can do to keep them away? Every time I go out there seem sot be a couple dozen more of them just sitting on the frame of the run.

blackfly_zpsiree1j8h.jpg
 
I went out to feed the rabbits this morning and found lots of weird black flies all over the outside of their run. I think they are black flies, they are very slow, they don't even try to fly away when I swat them but I am concerned for the health of my rabbits.

The run is clean, Rosie and Edward tend to toilet inside there hutch and there aren't any flies inside the hutch, just all on the outside of the run. This is a photograph of one of them.

Is there anything I can do to keep them away? Every time I go out there seem sot be a couple dozen more of them just sitting on the frame of the run.

blackfly_zpsiree1j8h.jpg

Not sure how big these are you are talking about. At first I thought you meant 'blackfly' which is a kind of aphid, but I think yours are bigger than this?

What I would do is rub essential oil all over the wooden bit of the run where they are landing and see if that deters them - lavender, mint, rosemary, lemon - all deter flies. I use cedar wood inside the house.
 
It looks a bit like those flying ants that you get just before a thunderstorm. They come in swarms. They tend to walk about on the concrete paths. I think they only fly to breed.
 
It's because it emerges around the date of St Marks day, 25th of April.. They've been around already this year, I assume because of the milder weather, it's usually late May before we see them up here.
 
Thank you, halfpenny. I'm always cautious about flies hanging around my rabbits and it's reassuring to know that this kind is harmless.
 
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