Deer fly, Chrysops atlanticus Pechuman, activity in cultivated fields and nearby salt marsh breeding places

Chrysops atlanticus Pechuman is an important pest of man in the eastern USA and moves from the salt marsh and concentrates in wooded areas, especially along field edges. Studies at 4 sites in New Jersey showed that over 2% of adults of C. atlanticus were attracted to man 50 and 100 m into the field whereas 64% were encountered at the field margin and the rest in the ecotone and on the salt marsh. No concentration of flies occurred where no vegetative barrier was present between the marsh and fields. More flies were taken in the morning than at noon and in the late afternoon during June and July.