Laurent Geslin / A swarm of midges (Chironomidae) flying in the morning. Walthamstow reservoir, London, UK

Erlend Haarberg / Midges (Chironomus islandicus) swarming, Myvatn, Iceland, June

Erlend Haarberg / Midges (Chironomus islandicus) on a 'No Walking' sign, Myvatn, Iceland, May

Alex Hyde / Cleg fly / Horsefly (Haematopota pluvialis) sucking blood from human.

Steve Knell / Swarm of Midges (Chironomidae) flying around grass stems. Lake Myvatn, Iceland. June

Steve Knell / Swarm of Midges (Chironomidae) flying around grass stems. Lake Myvatn, Iceland. June

Nick Upton / Cleg fly / Horsefly (Haematopa pluvialis) sucking blood from photographer's arm, Wiltshire pastureland, UK, June.

Naskrecki & Guyton / Parasitic fly (Raymondia sp.) on fur of Horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus mossambicus) from Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

Naskrecki & Guyton / Parasitic fly (Raymondia sp.) on the wing membrane of the Horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus mossambicus) from Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

Nick Upton / Swift lousefly (Craeterina pallida), a blood sucking parasite unique to swift nests, found on a Swift chick (Apus apus) and held in the hands of a bird ringer, Worlington, Suffolk, UK, July. Model rel...

Tom Gilks / Fishing boat with swarm of Lake flies (Chironomid sp) swarming in background, Lake Victoria, Kenya, February 2013.

Ingo Arndt / Swarm of Midges (Chironomidae), France.

Andy Sands / Twin lobed deer-fly (Chrysops relictus) biting the arm of a man, Surrey, England, UK. June

MYN / Gil Wizen / Louse fly (Hippobosca camelina), Carmel Mountain Range, Israel, April. Focus-stacked. meetyourneighbours.net project

Jussi Murtosaari / Flies (Brachycera) on leaf, Parikkala, Etela-Karjala / South Karelia, Etela-Suomi / South Finland, Finland. June

Jussi Murtosaari / Deer fly (Lipoptena cervi) on human skin, South Karelia, southern Finland, September.

Jan Hamrsky / Non-biting midge larvae (Chironomidae) in the shelter attached to the freshwater sponge (Spongilla lacustris) Europe, August, controlled conditions

Jan Hamrsky / Non-biting midge larvae (Chironomidae) in the shelter attached to the freshwater sponge (Spongilla lacustris) Europe, August, controlled conditions

Laurent Geslin / A swarm of midges (Chironomidae) flying above crops at sunset. Brittany, France

Nick Upton / Non-biting chironomid midges (Chironomidae) silhouetted as they mate under a leaf, with the female hanging below a male with plumose antennae, Wiltshire garden, UK, April.

Nick Upton / Male Non-biting chironomid midge (Chironomus sp.) with plumose antennae resting on a dead plant stem on heathland, Sandy, Bedfordshire, UK, April.

Erlend Haarberg / Midges (Chironomus islandicus) swarming, Myvatn, Iceland, June

Erlend Haarberg / Midges (Chironomus islandicus) swarming, Myvatn, Iceland, June 2008

Erlend Haarberg / Midges (Chironomus islandicus) swarming, Myvatn, Iceland, June

Erlend Haarberg / Photographer Orsolya Haarberg surrounded by swarming Midges (Chironomus islandicus) Myvatn, Iceland, June 2008, model released

Niall Benvie / 2020VISION / Woman holding a microphone, with a coat over her head to protect from midges, Achiltibuie, Coigach and Assynt, Scotland, UK, June. 2020VISION Exhibition.

Nick Upton / Stable fly (Stomoxys calcitrans) piercing skin to suck blood from photographer's ankle, Samos, Greece, August.

Laurie Campbell / Female Biting midges (Culicoides sp.) feeding on photographer's hand, Inverness-shire, Scotland, June

Laurie Campbell / Female Biting midges (Culicoides sp) feeding on photographer's hand, Inverness-shire, Scotland, June

Ernie Janes / Gadfly (Tabanus bromius) biting flesh on human, UK

David Maitland / Pigeon louse fly (Ornithomya avicularia) amongst the feathers of a Tawny Owl (Strix aluco). Feltwell, Norfolk, UK.

Bryan and Cherry Alexander / Scottish midges feed on a bare hand, UK, September 2007.

Stephen Dalton / Midge (Chironomidae) larva below water surface showing the siphon or breathing tube. UK, September.

Solvin Zankl / Red midge larva (Chironomus)

Nick Upton / Sequence 2 / 4. Cleg fly / Horsefly (Haematopa pluvialis) sucking blood from photographer's hand Wiltshire pastureland, UK, June.

Nick Upton / Sequence 1 / 4. Cleg fly / Horsefly (Haematopa pluvialis) about to pierce human skin a second time with blade like mouthparts. Wiltshire pastureland, UK, June.

Nick Upton / Sequence 3 / 4. Cleg fly / Horsefly (Haematopa pluvialis) excreting excess water as it swells up with blood sucked from photographer's arm, Wiltshire pastureland, UK, June.

Nick Upton / Sequence 4 / 4. Cleg fly / Horsefly (Haematopa pluvialis) swollen with blood sucked from photographer's hand, Wiltshire pastureland, UK, June.

Stephen Dalton / Non-biting midge (Chironomus sp) flying, UK, controlled conditions

Stephen Dalton / Midge (Chironomidae) in flight, UK

Philip Dalton / Lake flies (Chironomid sp) swarming, mating behaviour, Lake Victoria, Uganda

Philip Dalton / Lake flies (Chironomid sp) swarming, mating behaviour, Lake Victoria, Uganda

Philip Dalton / Lake flies (chironomid sp) swarming over Lake Victoria, mating behaviour, Uganda

Philip Dalton / Lake flies (Chironomid sp) swarming on the shores of Lake Victoria over a flock of Egrets, Uganda

Philip Dalton / Lake flies (Chironomid sp) swarming on the shores of Lake Victoria over a flock of Egrets, Uganda

Philip Dalton / Lake flies (Chironomid sp) swarming on the shores of Lake Victoria over a flock of Egrets, Uganda

Philip Dalton / Lake flies (Chironomid sp) swarming over Lake Victoria, Uganda

Stephen Dalton / Gnat (Chironomus sp) UK

Stephen Dalton / Gnat {Chironomus sp} against Red campion flower petal, UK

Mark Bowler / Midge {Chironomus sp} swarm in flight, UK

Premaphotos / Horse fly (Philopomyia sp) showing multifacetted compound eyes and thick, biting proboscis, Corfu, Greece

George McCarthy / Cow Moose (Alces alces) with mosquitos and flies covering her back, Alaskan Highway, USA

Suzi Eszterhas / Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) eating Zebra as African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) flies overhead, Mara River, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Willem Kolvoort / Non biting midge eggs (Chironomus plumosus) in canal near Zwolle, Holland

Willem Kolvoort / Eggs of Non-biting midges (Chironomidae) attached to freshwater vegetation, Holland

Willem Kolvoort / Eggs of Non-biting midge (Chironomidae) on freshwater vegetation, note water mite on eggs, Holland

Gary Smith / Cleg fly {Haematopota pluvialis} on human skin with drop of blood, UK

Premaphotos / Non-biting midges (Chironomidae) in mating swarm beside a reservoir, UK

Premaphotos / Non-biting midge (Chironomus plumosus) female, UK

David Weiller / Tracking shot of Jaguar (Panthera onca) walking on riverbank whilst swiping at flies with paws, biting at them and swishing its tail, Pantanal, Brazil.

Bruce Thomson / Eastern bentwing / Eastern long fingered bat (Miniopterus orianae oceanensis) hibernating cluster in cave, one bat with bat fly (Hippoboscoidea) Girraween National Park, Queensland, Australia.

Bruce Thomson / Eastern bentwing / Eastern long fingered bat (Miniopterus orianae oceanensis) hibernating cluster in cave, one bat with batfly (Hippoboscoidea) Girraween National Park, Queensland, Australia.

Bruce Thomson / Common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) family group infested with ectoparasitic batflies (Hippoboscoidea) roosting in cave aven / vertical shaft, Yucatan Peninsula Mexico

Alex Hyde / Swift Louse Fly (Crataerina pallida) an obligate haematophagous parasite of the Common Swift (Apus apus). Note the atrophied vestigial wings. Photographed on a white background. Devon, UK. July.