Chris Garvey wrote:

In sci.bio.botany Archimedes Plutonium wrote:
: I like to weed my gardens but I do not like mosquitoes and biting flies.

We have plenty of ply repellant plants here in australia.
oops fly
I guess most climates do?

erastothenes

When I lived and worked as a maths teacher in Melbourne Australia, 1974-76
I was intrigued by the flys of Australia. They behaved like none in the USA.
These flys were bold and daring and would coat your back if given a
reasonable
chance. They were not blood sucking but seemed to go after body moisture.
Some would try to get close to the lips and mouth and very persistent.

I would guess that the Australian fly was a different species from any in the
USA to explain their bold behaviour evolving on a dry continent. I do not
remember
any ticks in Australia, nor many mosquitos but that was probably because I
spent
most of my time in and around Melbourne.

Archimedes Plutonium,