Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
horn fly

horn fly

9.8
A small black fly that sucks blood from cows near their horns
  • noun
  • /hɔrn flaɪ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : mosca del cuerno
  • PHOTO (COLOR): Horn flies, Haematobia irritans. (K7265-11)

Examples

  • PHOTO (COLOR): Insecticidal eartags work much like tick and flea collars for pets to provide long-lasting control of horn flies. (K7264-7)

    Academic text (1996)

  • The first eartags held organophosphates that were effective against horn flies for 6 to 10 weeks.

    Academic text (1996)

  • He conducted control studies on the stable fly and horn fly at the newly opened Kerrville facility.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Miller also demonstrated that a pour-on avermectin-based insecticide can provide 35 days of horn fly control when applied to cattle during spring roundups.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Because the eartags were so popular with producers and used so extensively on cattle, less-susceptible horn flies eventually became resistant to the tags' pesticides, says Kunz.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The cattle were constantly bothered by horn flies, which gathered around their ears and horns.

  • Farmers often use insecticides to control the population of horn flies on their livestock.

  • During the summer months, horn flies can cause significant stress to cattle if not managed properly.

Synonyms

Haematobia irritans
vshorn fly
  • Specialized
9.9

A small dark fly that bites cows near their horns

is the everyday common name used instead of the Latin species name

Surface Forms

horn fly singular
horn flies plural

Morphology

horn + fly

The compound 'horn fly' is transparently built from 'horn' + 'fly' and directly signals a type of fly associated with horns (i.e., a fly found on/near animal horns). Although it refers to a specific pest species and behavior, that specific meaning is a natural extension of the constituents and would be inferable by a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Horn fly comes from a simple image: tiny flies gather and suck blood near the base of a cow's horns. So the name means 'a small fly that lives on cattle and feeds on their blood'.