About Tabanus bovinus Linnaeus, 1758
Tabanus bovinus, sometimes called the pale giant horse-fly, is a species of biting horse-fly. As its scientific name suggests, it prefers bovine animals as a blood source, though it may also bite other types of mammals. This insect is relatively large for a horse-fly; adult individuals are usually 25 to 30 millimeters long. Like most other horseflies, it has very colorful compound eyes with stripe-like patterns. Its body and wings are mostly brownish gray. It is quite a fast and capable flier, able to easily evade most attempts to swat it. It bites humans infrequently, because it prefers bovine animals. This loud-buzzing horse-fly can be a nuisance, as it circles around its target and occasionally lands to deliver a bite. In the case of humans, the fly usually takes off again instead of completing a bite. However, it is considerably less harmful to humans than deer flies (genus Chrysops), which bite much more vigorously. No commercially available insect repellents work fully against this horse-fly, though it usually avoids smoke and exhaust gases. Weather has a great effect on this horse-fly's behavior, as it only flies during sunny and hot weather. Like all horse-fly species, only females require a blood meal, which they need to get enough protein to produce eggs. Males do not bite, and they tend to prefer shaded woodland areas, where they are territorial.
