New research could hold the key to combating horse flies

New research has outlined how zebra stripes work to repel horse flies.

Studies in recent years have shown that horse flies do not like landing on stripes, and there is a growing body of evidence that zebra stripes are an evolutionary adaptation to thwart them.

A new study from the University of Bristol has built on previous research to look at the reasons why horse flies do not want to land on stripes.

The scientists used horses wearing different types of patterned rugs for the study, which was published today (20 February) in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

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Article written by: Lucy Elder