Horse-fly

Description

In Croatia, you’re most likely to come across the so-called pale giant horse-fly (Tabanus bovinus), which is the largest type of diptera in Croatia, as well as the deer fly, which is distributed around the country, living on the forest edges. Horse-fly is a strong and powerful type of fly, extremely apt at flying, with a large head and huge eyes. Their mouths are adapted to biting, since females (much like the mosquitoes) are unable to reproduce without the mammalian blood.

Horse-fly bites and consequences

Horse-flies can serve as vector for some infectious diseases, but very rarely (or almost never in this part of the world). That being said, you should avoid getting bit by them, because it’s very painfull and the swelling can last for several days, even weeks. In some cases, antibiotic therapy is needed because there’s a possibility of infection.