Folks who live in Slab City have all seen this lil lady, the bloodsucking Bomber. An XL size (1"+) local population of tabanus punctifer, these massive tabanidae flies have a reputation for being aggressive, sometimes hunting people for miles. What many people don't know is that when you kill them they leave a hormonal scent marker behind that attracts more bombers to avenge their fallen sister. Bombers mostly feed on nectar from plants. The females do require a blood meal to accumulate adequate protein for reproduction. It takes her 6 days to digest this unusual meal, so she spends a lot more of her time digesting than drinking blood. Her bite, however, is painful & can spread bloodbourne diseases, as well as causing potentially life-threatening allergic reactions. In Libraria we have a contract with the bombers: we don't kill them, they don't bite us. When they land on us or buzz around our heads, we gently brush them away, taking care not to hurt them. Neither library residents nor libraria's various spaces smell like their dead relatives. As a result, the bombers in Libraria tend to be very chill. Almost always, they quickly settle down and do their favorite thing: sit in a shady corner and have a little bath: like a cat! They do get a bit flustered when they get tangled in shade cloth, but don't we all.
