Striped horse fly

Tabanus lineola

Eats: Blood Flies and mosquitoesGardens and meadows6 legs

The striped horse fly is a big fly from North America. The female has a pale stripe down the middle of her tummy. She is the one that bites, because she needs a meal of blood.

Lives in

The east coast of North America and the Gulf coast of Mexico

Top speed

about 25 km/h (16 mph)

Flying, estimate

Can it hurt you?

Can bite

The female can give a painful bite. Brush it away and do not let it land on you.

What does it eat?

The females bite animals and people to drink blood. The males do not bite.

Photo of Striped horse fly — Picture by Thomas Shahan. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)

A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)

Striped horse fly about 25 km/h (16 mph)

A car driving in town about 50 km/h (31 mph)

cool stuff

Fun facts

Only the females bite. The males leave people alone.

The male has no hair on his eyes.

It lives along the east coast of North America and the Gulf coast of Mexico.

you asked

Most asked questions about Striped horse fly

?Do striped horse flies bite?

Yes, the females do. Their bite hurts, but it is not dangerous for most people.

?Why do only female horse flies bite?

The females need blood to make their eggs. The males do not.

For bug experts

Scientific name: Tabanus lineola
Group: Flies and mosquitoes
Family: Tabanidae
Classification: Insecta > Diptera > Tabanidae
Lives on: North America

Where the facts come from

Tabanus lineola (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
Picture by Thomas Shahan. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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