Black Horse Fly vs European Corn Borer

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Black Horse Fly European Corn Borer
Scientific Name Tabanus atratus Ostrinia nubilalis
Order Diptera Lepidoptera
Family Tabanidae Pyralidae
Size 20-28 mm 26-34 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Blood Feeders Herbivores
Regions Eastern United States from the Great Plains to the Atlantic coast Europe, North America, Asia, North Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Black Horse Fly

A very large entirely black horse fly and one of the biggest flies in North America. Females are persistent blood-feeders that can harass livestock and humans during summer months.

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Did You Know?

Its larvae are aquatic predators that live in muddy pond bottoms and can take up to two years to complete development.

European Corn Borer

A small yellowish-brown moth that is one of the most destructive crop pests in the world. Larvae bore into corn stalks, causing billions of dollars in damage annually.

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Did You Know?

Female moths use two different pheromone strains, effectively creating reproductively isolated populations.