Dan Gleeson Park: The bloodsucking bat flies bugging Townsville park-goers

Horrified visitors at a park in Townsville are finding themselves covered in blood-sucking bat flies as the number of flying foxes roosting in the area soars. Here’s all you need to know about these creepy-crawlies.

Disgusted visitors at Dan Gleeson Park are finding themselves covered in bat flies.

Horrified visitors at a park in Townsville are finding themselves covered in blood-sucking bat flies as the number of flying foxes roosting in the area soars.

Katie White was enjoying a picnic at Dan Gleeson Memorial Gardens with her son and two nieces when they suddenly found themselves covered in the dozens of bat flies on Wednesday.

“It was horrendous,” she said.

Visitors left Dan Gleeson Memorial Gardens covered in bat flies. Picture: Facebook/Katie White

“The children were freaking out also because when they tried to squish the bugs, they just wouldn’t die. They kept just crawling over everything.

“When we left, I dusted off each of us and our belongings. Then I picked up my mum, and while driving, the kids started screaming because they had bugs on them somehow that I hadn’t brushed off.

“They even got on to my mum, who was in the front seat and hadn’t even been at the park with us.”

She continued to find more of the tiny bugs burrowed in her and her son’s hair that night.

“They didn’t seem to bite, but we were very itchy,” she said.

“I obviously am aware that Dan Gleeson has bats. However, we have never had a problem in the past and certainly were not aware of these bugs at all.”

James Cook University entomologist Myles Menz said bat flies fed on the blood of their bat hosts, but there’s no evidence at this stage to suggest they could spread disease among humans.

“They’re extremely modified flies, in many cases, they have reduced their wings and heads to become really flattened so they can scuttle around in the fur of their hosts, which are usually bats,” he said.

“I think that’s why people can often have a very hard time finding and getting rid of them once they’ve landed on you.

“They do tend to bite and feed on the blood of their bat hosts, but as far as I know, they’re not problematic to humans, so they shouldn’t cause any issues.”

Dan Gleeson Memorial Gardens has had a constant issue with flying foxes over the years. Picture: Alix Sweeney

A spokesman from Townsville council said they were aware of the bat flies at Dan Gleeson Park and advised the public not to sit under bat roosting trees.

“During periods of their life cycle (the bat flies) can leave the host within the roost area to reproduce, which is where they can come in contact with people,” he said.

“They are from the Nycteribiidae family; there is limited research available on the Australian species; however, in general, these bat flies, though they can crawl over people, are considered to be quite host specific.”

Originally published as Dan Gleeson Park: The bloodsucking bat flies bugging Townsville park-goers