The Hunchback of Whitbarrow Scar.

[nomad]

This is the strange Black-rimmed Hunchback = Ogcodes pallipes Latreille 1812 of the Acroceridae (Hunchback-flies) family. It is a nationally scarce UK fly that has been recorded from Chalk Grassland in Southern England but in 2014, Howard Bentley of the British Entomological and Natural History Society recorded this species to be common on Whitbarrow Scar, a limestone hill in Cumbria in Northern England. Here recently I photographed one on a dull overcast day and this was obtained by sweeping with a net. The only example I found.

The habitat is outstanding open Karst landscape with Junipers, eractics and grikes etc, all left over from the Ice age. Unfortunately due to the mild Winter and Spring weather, Whitbarrow Scar swarmed with the loathsome and dangerous disease carrying ticks of all shapes and sizes, there were just legions of them, ever marching upwards and although the weather was better the next day, I decided prudence was better than valor in spite of going such a distance to find a particular rare insect that inhabits this limestone grassland, which I did not find.   It took a brave man just to put your hand in that net bag. Ouch.   What was needed up there was duck taped gaiters and disposal all in one suit. Shirt in pants, socks over boots, arms covered were no defense at all. I see now why the walkers are content to stay on the paths and only a entomologist or naturalists will visit such an area. 


Ogcodes pallipes


Open Juniper woodland with limestone grassland on Whitbarrow Scar habitat of Ogcodes pallipes and other rare insects. 

[deliasfanatic]

You need Permethrin to repel ticks. It comes as a spray to treat clothing, which then lasts for 6 weeks. I came home from a botanical garden several weeks ago carrying a tick, which had not attached by the time I found it. I discovered that one can get clothing that's permanently treated with Permethrin; much more convenient. I ordered a set from Amazon - it's made by several companies here - I think the type that I got is called "No Fly Zone". It's supposedly harmless to people and pets after it dries, but it will kill ticks if they try to climb up. It's said to repel other biting insects too, so I'll see how it does next time I'm out.

[Paul K]

Once we cross the border of our concrete world and enter the natural ecosystem we are becoming part of the bio chain, we are the source of food for other organism.

Paul

[nomad]

Very true but I get away from the concrete as much as possible and have spent most of my free time roaming the countryside but have never experienced anything like what I encountered on Whitbarrow Scar. I pity the cattle which graze that area!!

[wollastoni]

When numerous, ticks can ruin the best collecting spots !
There is a foret I love in Brittany near my home, full of Apatura iris, but there are so many ticks that you watch your trousers instead of looking for nice leps... it ruins all the pleasure... and even being very cautious, there's no issue than being bitten by them.

[nomad]

Jun 18, 2017 13:16:34 GMT deliasfanatic said:

You need Permethrin to repel ticks

I have bought some Permethrin spray but I never liked the idea of putting an insecticide directly on cloths. The makers say its safe to use. I try it when I next go into the forest. The UK does not seem to sell Permethrin treated cloths.

[cabintom]

Around here we treat our mosquito netting (if it doesn't come out of the package already treated) with permethrin.

[jshuey]

Jun 19, 2017 6:42:34 GMT nomad said:

Check retailers like REI - I'm sure they ship overseas. Here in the states, specialty retailers - like forestry supply company - also sell treated products.

Here is the cheaper way to get season-long treated clothing that you actually pick out yourself. (sectionhiker.com/permethrin-soak-method-guide/).  I read somewhere, that in France pharmacies sell 10% permethrin over the counter.   

Here in the states, my staff spend considerable time working outside (like - they had better be in the field at least 4 days a week.  Unfortunately - I'm more of a 1-day per week office type).  And while it is not mandatory that they use permethrin, it is highly recommended by me and we cover all the costs (we have two tick born diseases in the area - both of which can be devastating - and of all our staff, I'm the only member to have ever contracted one of these).   By and large, they choose to have their own personal clothing professionally treated - which lasts  all season (www.insectshield.com/ISYOC.aspx).  For about $90, you ship off around 10 articles of clothing - they treat them, and you are set for the season.  Some of them treat their own clothing (like me using spray), and a couple of them buy pre-treated pants and socks (and hope that they fit).

John

[wollastoni]

Thanks for these useful info John, I will have a look to all those links.

[luehdorfia]

In South Germany it's also a big problem, our ticks carry both diseases borreliosis and encephalitis. At first I didn't really care and in mid summer found a typical tick bite on my leg, I had to take three weeks of heavy antibiotics just to be safe. Then I really took it seriously, sprayed all my cloths and took great care when being in meadows with high grass.
But then when I was walking in a forest along a path with almost no grass at the sides, and I took a closer look at a plant and moved it with my hand, it was at most 10cm tall, when getting back up I felt a strange very small biting pain on my hand, and then there was this tiny tick on my hand trying to bite into my skin! I sprayed it directly since it was only a few seconds and it fell off, but you really have to be careful with ticks. They can be at places where you would have never imagined them, and they can be extremely tiny.

[nomad]

The Winter in the UK was very mild and then the weather was rainy and now its very warm. Ticks are everywhere this year, being common where I never had a problem before. I agree with Olivier when they are this abundant, they spoil a day in the field, which should be an enjoyable experience. Yes at first they are very small and very hard to miss.  Hopefully the Sawyer SP657 Permethrin Premium Insect Repellent (from Germany) arriving tomorrow will do the trick, ticks, who wants to keep looking at their clothes and see these small arachnids everywhere and a body search and finding stowaways. I think they are much more common nowadays in the UK,  a unwelcome and another bi- product of global warming. I used to run around those fields as boy with a butterfly net in shorts and t-shirt, I never got a single tick, "ever", they just were not there or they were very rare!! Now you have to go into the British countyside like some sort of SAS soldier on an expedition into the jungle 

[Paul K]

I personally found jungle more plasent to search for insects than Canadian forest with tones of mosquitos, ticks, urtica plant and poison ivy.
At least in tropics one can avoid season when are too many biting creatures around.
In temperate zone if we want to choose the period without those insects we'll end up in winter.

Paul

[nomad]

The bizarre fly, Ogcodes pallipes larvae is an internal parasite of spiders, it overwinters in the host body, it continue growing until the following Spring, then it emerges to pupate which finally kills the dying host. The female can lay up to 4000 microscopic eggs and the tiny (0.3 mm) larvae actively seek out spiders to parasitize. I believe that it is a female that I photographed on Whitbarrow Scar.

Flies of this family have no functional mouthparts so are unable to feed as adults. This species is indeed rarely found, and may be short-lived.

I wonder why the head is so small in relation to the large body, any theories.