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A staycation holidaymaker was left jumping out their skin after discovering a giant blood-sucking fly lying in wait on the door of their car.
A Dark Giant Horsefly was found by Nicola Harrison – who was visiting the island of Arran in Scotland and was stunned to see the huge bug sitting on her car.
The large insect – which can grow up to 5cm in length – is the largest fly in the UK.
It’s bite can pierce human skin, and females need to feast on blood before being able to produce offspring.
Ms Harrison was horrified to find the blood-sucking beastie crawling along her car in Corrie – which she joked was big enough to do damage to her vehicle if she had hit it while driving.
Ms Harrison, who was visiting the Scottish Island from Redditch in Worcestershire told The Sun: "I think it would of dented the car if I had splatted it."
The Arran Ranger Service shared details of the : "This is a female as her eyes are separated by a bar, and she needs to feed on blood before she can lay her eggs.
"They can give a nasty bite as their mandibles are serrated choppers which will tear and rip at your skin. These giant flies can reach up to 5cm long."
The bugs are said to thrive in hot weather – with reports of bites increasing in recent weeks as the UK has been bathed in heatwaves.
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Despite the skin-crawling discovery, Ms Harrison says she won’t be put off visiting the Scottish island again in the future – no matter how many biting insects the dramatic landscape throws at her.
She joked: "It would take a lot to put us off coming to this beautiful island, even the midges don't put us off coming here and they are a nuisance."
Horsefly bites are painful and can take a longer time to heal compared to other insect bites as the beasts tear the skin rather than pierce it.
Wounds can become infected – while some bites are known to have caused allergic reactions.
Medical experts advise keeping the bites clean to avoid the area becoming infected, and also recommend using an ice pack to help sooth the bite area and reduce itching.
The Natural History Museum states the easiest way to protect agains horsefly bites is to keep the skin covered – but warns the insects can bite through clothes.
Dr Daniel Whitmore, Senior Curator of Diptera and Siphonaptera at the Museum says: “Horsefly females have such strong, powerful mouthparts that they can sometimes bite you through your clothes.
“But obviously they are more likely to go for bare skin.”
- Animals
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