Feeding varies with species. Some Tabinids attack the upper parts of walking man and others prefer the lower limbs, however, most are day biters. A Tabanid fly. Stable flies resemble house flies. They are day-biting flies and are numerous during summer and autumn around domestic animals.
Stable flies are vicious biters often flying from host to host until their appetites are whetted.
This habit of flying to many hosts makes them potential vectors of organisms causing diseases in humans. They will take blood from many animals including rats, cattle, horses, rabbits and man. Stable fly bites. Black flies are minute, stout bodied and humpbacked. Preferred habitats are wooded coves along fast flowing streams.