Did you know that young sand flies live under the water in
streams? I'm a young sand fly and the scientists call me Austrosimulium. I'm
pretty small so you have to look very closely to see me. I sit on stones or
plants under the water and I catch tiny bits of plant or tiny creatures to eat.
I catch this food with a special net shaped a bit like a fan attached to my
mouth. It's a bit like having a kitchen sieve sticking out of your face!
We sand flies can live in clean stony streams and also in weedy
streams where the water is dirtier. This means that we're found in most streams
so you can be bitten by grown up sand flies almost anywhere. If I were you, I'd
keep some insect repellent handy if you're going to spend much time close to
streams.
;void('');)
