SAND FLY MORPHOLOGY
- Smaller than a mosquito, larger than a midge
- Delicate, with long slender legs
- Distinguished by the way they hold their pointed wings in a “V” above their body
- Require humid, not wet, conditions
- Only female sand flies take a blood meal
- Males feed on plant juices and nectar
- Mainly in tropics and subtropics
FEEDING BEHAVIOR
- Nocturnal unless disturbed
- During periods of minimal air movement
- Only females take blood
- Both males and females require carbohydrates (sugar) for energy (daily?)
- Painful bite