"larwe" <zwsdotcom@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1145174541.620578.201990@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> Alex Gibson wrote:
>
>> > home in Australia there are some NASTY fly-shaped creatures that I
>> > believe to be the physical manifestation of some kind of demon. Very
>>
>> You mean March flies or horse flies ?
>> 1 - 3 cm's and give a dam painful bite
>>
>>
>> Or are you talking about sand flies ?
>
> I don't know what the difference is, but the 1-3cm description and
> painful biting sure sounds right.

Sand flies usually at or within a few km's of the beach.
March flies most places but not at the beach.

Combine sandflies with sea lice and some days at the beach
can be not much fun except for the eye candy.

>> At least in Sydney the mossies are only small (up to a couple of cm's),
>
> Definitely not mosquitos.

Alex

Alex Gibson wrote:

> > home in Australia there are some NASTY fly-shaped creatures that I
> > believe to be the physical manifestation of some kind of demon. Very
>
> You mean March flies or horse flies ?
> 1 - 3 cm's and give a dam painful bite
>
>
> Or are you talking about sand flies ?

I don't know what the difference is, but the 1-3cm description and
painful biting sure sounds right.

> At least in Sydney the mossies are only small (up to a couple of cm's),

Definitely not mosquitos.

"larwe" <zwsdotcom@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:1144926121.030544.166620@i40g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>
> CBFalconer wrote:
>
>> > *sigh* I loathe summer. I have a little clock I built on my wall
>>
>> The proper cure for summer is to get out of NYC.  Come up to Maine,
>
> I think Siberia is more my style. I want someplace to live where I
> can't see my neighbors, taxes are low, and the temps rarely or never go
> above 60F.
>
>> black flies are gone by July 4th.
>
> Eeee. I wonder if those are the same things I'm thinking of... back
> home in Australia there are some NASTY fly-shaped creatures that I
> believe to be the physical manifestation of some kind of demon. Very
> large (for flies), and bloodsucking. They'll go right into your feet
> through the stitching holes in your shoes, and light clothing doesn't
> deter them in the slightest. Unaffected by insect repellents, also.

You mean March flies or horse flies ?
1 - 3 cm's and give a dam painful bite

Or are you talking about sand flies ?

At least in Sydney the mossies are only small (up to a couple of cm's),
some of the tropical ones(north Queensland) are impressive 5 - 8cm's
but they are not to painfull when biting.
Its the Ross river fever afterwards that is nasty
(but thats spread south as far as Sydney in mossies).

Alex 

"larwe" <zwsdotcom@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:1144932677.997662.320360@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>
> Andrew M wrote:
>
>> > home in Australia there are some NASTY fly-shaped creatures that I
>> > believe to be the physical manifestation of some kind of demon. Very
>>
>>
>> I believe the creature you're referring to is called a "taxation officer"
>
> Hopefully not too many of those in Ballarat, which is approximately
> where I saw these horrific beasts. We had a couple of acres there many
> years ago, on which we put two red rattlers when they were being
> decommissioned. (Someone stole them. How do you steal two 60-foot
> railway carriages?)
>
> Great place to spend time, except that the entire property was riddled
> with mining survey holes a foot across and 30-60 feet deep. Mostly
> overgrown with bracken, of course.
>

Ah I remember the red rattlers.
There's something exciting about a train trip when you're not sure you'll get there 
alive or not :-)

-Andrew M

Uwe Bonnes wrote:
> CBFalconer <cbfalconer@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> ... snip ...
>>>
>>> *sigh* I loathe summer. I have a little clock I built on my wall
>>> here, counting down days, hours, minutes and seconds until winter
>>> (12/21/2006, 19:22 UT). Can't wait for the first snow to come.
> 
>> The proper cure for summer is to get out of NYC.  Come up to Maine,
>> find fresh air, low humidity, fresh water, go swimming, etc.  The
>> black flies are gone by July 4th.
> 
> What are these black flies?

Small and hungry.  About the end of May they will appear in large
swarms.  Also known as the Maine state bird.  I believe there is a
Society for the Preservation of the Black Fly in Machias, and
googling might turn up a URL.  

The kind Larwe is thinking of is the Moose Fly, which is much
larger, slower and slappable.  It can bite large chunks of flesh
off you through a layer or two of clothing.  Otherwise known as
Horse Flies in some parts of the world.  

Then there are mosquitoes, and poison ivy.  You gotta know the
territory.

-- 
"If you want to post a followup via groups.google.com, don't use
 the broken "Reply" link at the bottom of the article.  Click on 
 "show options" at the top of the article, then click on the 
 "Reply" at the bottom of the article headers." - Keith Thompson
More details at: <http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/>
Also see <http://www.safalra.com/special/googlegroupsreply/>

Andrew M wrote:

> > home in Australia there are some NASTY fly-shaped creatures that I
> > believe to be the physical manifestation of some kind of demon. Very
>
>
> I believe the creature you're referring to is called a "taxation officer"

Hopefully not too many of those in Ballarat, which is approximately
where I saw these horrific beasts. We had a couple of acres there many
years ago, on which we put two red rattlers when they were being
decommissioned. (Someone stole them. How do you steal two 60-foot
railway carriages?)

Great place to spend time, except that the entire property was riddled
with mining survey holes a foot across and 30-60 feet deep. Mostly
overgrown with bracken, of course.

"larwe" <zwsdotcom@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:1144926121.030544.166620@i40g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>
> CBFalconer wrote:
>
>> > *sigh* I loathe summer. I have a little clock I built on my wall
>>
>> The proper cure for summer is to get out of NYC.  Come up to Maine,
>
> I think Siberia is more my style. I want someplace to live where I
> can't see my neighbors, taxes are low, and the temps rarely or never go
> above 60F.
>
>> black flies are gone by July 4th.
>
> Eeee. I wonder if those are the same things I'm thinking of... back
> home in Australia there are some NASTY fly-shaped creatures that I
> believe to be the physical manifestation of some kind of demon. Very
> large (for flies), and bloodsucking. They'll go right into your feet
> through the stitching holes in your shoes, and light clothing doesn't
> deter them in the slightest. Unaffected by insect repellents, also.


I believe the creature you're referring to is called a "taxation officer"
-Andrew M (in Oz) 

CBFalconer wrote:

> > *sigh* I loathe summer. I have a little clock I built on my wall
>
> The proper cure for summer is to get out of NYC.  Come up to Maine,

I think Siberia is more my style. I want someplace to live where I
can't see my neighbors, taxes are low, and the temps rarely or never go
above 60F.

> black flies are gone by July 4th.

Eeee. I wonder if those are the same things I'm thinking of... back
home in Australia there are some NASTY fly-shaped creatures that I
believe to be the physical manifestation of some kind of demon. Very
large (for flies), and bloodsucking. They'll go right into your feet
through the stitching holes in your shoes, and light clothing doesn't
deter them in the slightest. Unaffected by insect repellents, also.

CBFalconer <cbfalconer@yahoo.com> wrote:
> ... snip ...
> > 
> > *sigh* I loathe summer. I have a little clock I built on my wall
> > here, counting down days, hours, minutes and seconds until winter
> > (12/21/2006, 19:22 UT). Can't wait for the first snow to come.

> The proper cure for summer is to get out of NYC.  Come up to Maine,
> find fresh air, low humidity, fresh water, go swimming, etc.  The
> black flies are gone by July 4th.  

What are these black flies?
-- 
Uwe Bonnes                bon@elektron.ikp.physik.tu-darmstadt.de

Institut fuer Kernphysik  Schlossgartenstrasse 9  64289 Darmstadt
--------- Tel. 06151 162516 -------- Fax. 06151 164321 ----------

larwe wrote:
> 
... snip ...
> 
> *sigh* I loathe summer. I have a little clock I built on my wall
> here, counting down days, hours, minutes and seconds until winter
> (12/21/2006, 19:22 UT). Can't wait for the first snow to come.

The proper cure for summer is to get out of NYC.  Come up to Maine,
find fresh air, low humidity, fresh water, go swimming, etc.  The
black flies are gone by July 4th.  

If you really want it cold just do the swimming in the open ocean. 
Otherwise stick to fresh water.

-- 
"If you want to post a followup via groups.google.com, don't use
 the broken "Reply" link at the bottom of the article.  Click on 
 "show options" at the top of the article, then click on the 
 "Reply" at the bottom of the article headers." - Keith Thompson
More details at: <http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/>
Also see <http://www.safalra.com/special/googlegroupsreply/>