Annoying little black flies.

[dave0010]

Is anyone else at the moment getting covered in these tiny little black flies? This may just be people who cycle around the countryside but its bloody annoying. Just want to make sure I' not cursed or something

[ewenm]

Not just you. I come home from runs with a collection of them dead in my sweat. At least they don't sting or bite but they can be somewhat distracting if you get one in an eye.

[anonymous-user]

EddH and I were covered in the little bds at castle combe this afternoon whilst we took a break from a ride and watched Chav Trackdays....

[Laurel Green]

One of my rides consists of following the old River Lea from Hackney Marshes to the A12(Stratford Olympic Park) and at times is like riding through an hailstorm of the little critters. Keep mouth open for the nutritional content.

[yellowjack]

The North Essex countryside used to be a nightmare for them, usually coinciding with the ripening of the oilseed Rape crop. Some of the locals called them 'thunderbugs'. I'd come back coated in them after some evening rides, and they're damned annoying, as I can feel them on my skin more than I can far larger insects. They also like to die on white uPVC windowsills and make the place look scruffy. Surrey/Hampshire border where I now live doesn't have them in the same way. In fact the only place I have ever encountered them was the arable farming areas of rural Essex.

[Disco You]

It is annoying indeed.

Shaved or trimmed legs reduces it, though...

[loudlashadjuster]

Corn lice, or thrips. Used to live in a cottage surrounded by corn fields. There'd be millions of the buggers around this time of the year.

OK, they don't bite but are supremely annoying nonetheless. They can get everywhere, including inside LCD monitors!

They don't seem to be so prevalent near my current home, my main cycling insect worry right now is swallowing horse flies which seem to be all the rage this year...and they really are not something you want in your mouth!

[Highway Star]

On the side of my house that overlooks fields, they get everywhere - even inside the picture frames under the glass - can't stand the little f*ckers.

[Waynester]

Always knew them as Thunderbugs.. as said, they seem attrected to anything white, or....Orange. I have an orange Focus ST, and it's bloody covered in them, 1000s of the little bu**ers!!

[dave0010]

Glad I'm not going mad then. They annoy the p**S out of me as I can feel them on my scalp inside my helmet. Really drives me mad as I either have to stop and take my helmet off and give my head a good ruffle or put up with it.

[Highway Star]

Argh - FFS - just noticed one crawling around inside my MacBook screen!

[fausTVR]

Always knew them as Thunderflies (not -bugs), and the yokels refer to them as Thrips. Small enough to get into absolutely everything. When Rolex service your Sea Dweller, there is invariably a couple of vintage ones in there.

Edited by fausTVR on Saturday 26th July 18:40

[darrenw]

There were millions of the blighters in the air at Bug Jam last weekend (Santa Pod). My mate was saying about how his IT department has to write off loads of laptops and screens because they find their way in and get stuck in the screen. "Wow", I said.

"Wow" wasn't the word I used an hour or so later when down on the startline I looked through my camera to line up a photo of a VW doing a massive burnout only to see one merrily crawling across my viewfinder, on the inside... Grrrr.

How TF did it get in there?! It lingered for a few hours and I haven't seen it since. Which reminds me, must take the lens off and see if I can get it out...

[mybrainhurts]

THUNDER FLIES. They come with the corn crop.

[nick997]

yellowjack said:

The North Essex countryside used to be a nightmare for them, usually coinciding with the ripening of the oilseed Rape crop. Some of the locals called them 'thunderbugs'. I'd come back coated in them after some evening rides, and they're damned annoying, as I can feel them on my skin more than I can far larger insects. They also like to die on white uPVC windowsills and make the place look scruffy. Surrey/Hampshire border where I now live doesn't have them in the same way. In fact the only place I have ever encountered them was the arable farming areas of rural Essex.

Guess where I live

[Get Karter]

mybrainhurts said:

THUNDER FLIES. They come with the corn crop.

Just what I was going to say.
Perfect conditions for them right now.

[Gizmoish]

Always called them thunderbugs.

Effing loads of them around, I agree.

[MadDad]

I hit a swarm of them at 40-odd mph this afternoon and can tell you that at that speed the impact stings, it was like being peppered with shot! Did amuse the wife and kids when I took my glasses and skid lid off and there was a line of dead insects across my forehead though!

[Chicken Chaser]

Ive been covered in them last 3 days, they have suffered a miserable saline death on my face.

[mybrainhurts]

Chicken Chaser said:

Ive been covered in them last 3 days, they have suffered a miserable saline death on my face.

Did you still catch the chickens?