Lynnette Johnson, age 13, of Sioux City, Iowa, for her question:
Are there sand flies in America?
Many pesky bugs are called sand flies because they are noticed on sandy beaches, in swampy places and along silty river banks. The true sand flies are classed in the insect Family Psychodidae. There are several hundred species and none of them are friendly to people. In tropical regions, some species carry serious diseases. All the true sand flies favor mild or warm winter climates and moist regions where there is plenty of rotting vegetation.
Lynnette's pen pal. lives in the Virgin Islands and reports that the people there are pestered by sand flies. About six species of these pesky bugs are found in southern parts of the United States. These are fairly harmless and none of them venture as far north as Sioux City. However, hundreds of less harmless species pester the islands of the Carribean, Central America and the mountainous tropics of South America. Hundreds more throng in the warm moist regions of Africa, China, India and countries around the Mediterranean Sea.
The average sand fly measures about one eighth of an inch. He is classified in the Order Diptera, the third largest insect group. It includes the assortment of everyday flies, the aggravating mosquitoes and a variety of other insects mistakenly called sand flies. The true sand fly is a blood sucking parasite. The female attacks people, especially at night. Because of her small size, she. is less noticeable than the mosquito, but her bite causes an itchy bump. In most species, this is the worst that happens.
However, a few parasitical sand flies accidentally inject their victims with serious diseases. They cause a blistering skin disease called oriental sore and several types of fever. Sand flies and other parasitical insects spread these plagues in Africa and Asia, China and parts of tropical America. Sand flies also infect people of India and Ceylon with a more serious disease called kala czar, also known as black fever or dum dum. This plague germ attacks internal organs, causing many fatalities every year. The sand flies that haunt Central and South America also carry a deadly plague called carrion's disease.
As you can see, there is nothing good to be said for the sand fly. Next time we envy the folk living in the balmy tropics, let's offer a vote of thanks for our cold, snowy winters. Sand flies and many other pests of the tropics cannot abide frosty weather.
Other creatures we call sand flies may be moth flies or midges. Moth flies are closely related to the true sand flies. However, they are less likely to transmit diseases because they are not parasitical blood suckers. However, certain midges that swarm around beaches in the spring are parasites. Usually we notice their bites later. These pesky creatures measure only 1/25th of an inch. The so called sand fly midges are perhaps the smallest blood suckers of the insect world.