Deer flies and horse flies may also be trapped. A typical design for such a trap includes a dark painted beach ball or similar object suspended under a cone. The addition of small amounts of carbon dioxide around the trap can further increase the attractiveness of the trap. DEET and other insect repellents are not very effective at deterring deer fly bites. They are found near forested areas of higher elevations of the state.
Snipe flies can be vicious biters and feed during the day.
Very little is known of the habits of these Insects. Larvae of some snipe flies develop in moist soils of grassy woodlands. Others have been found in rotten wood or decaying vegetation where they are thought to develop as predators of other Insects. Photograph courtesy of Oregon State University Cooperative Extension. It is a major pest of confined livestock throughout the world, including Colorado.