Its that time of the year again, those pesky flies circle you and attack your head/neck while out running, especially in the woods. Nasty. I live in CT. I’ve tried everythign from bug spray to a wedding vail (sorta- some cloth over my head)… The vail is kinda ridiculous and adds a little to the heat factor, but its not bad. Its just a pain to put on and it really looks ridiculous. I’ve tried all bug sprays from the typical to natural stuff and nothing works. These are big black flies that can keep up to a 6:30 pace …its nuts. They are really annoying and do affect my runs (I’m already miserable and suffering and then you have these bugs attacking you!).
I think we need pictures of you running in the woods wearing a wedding veil to be able to properly assess the situation.
Are they actually biting you, or just hanging really close and bumping and buzzing?
Have you tried treating your clothes in Permethrin? That stuff works very well for repelling flies. I learned about it and used it before going to Africa, and still use it for places like the BWCA in northern Minnesota. It has worked well for me. The disadvantage is that it will wash out, but maybe just having a hat treated in it that you won’t wash as often will keep them away from your head.
It actually sounds like you might be dealing with another type of fly but if they are actual black flies there are a couple of types of fly spray used on horses that target them. I’m not going to say it’s totally safe… I don’t know… but I’ve used it before on myself. They breed in creeks, etc. and have a limited range and the breeding season is relatively short. Perhaps a temporary change of route would be the best option.
If they are another type of fly, you need to determine which type because not all chemicals are effective on all things that go buzz in the night.
I’ll have to to try that. Yes, they bite…and just attack after attack…and keep buzzing in circles around you. its nasty. Crazy - my friend who runs with me doesn’t have as bad as me…oftem times nothing…
I would spray permathone on it like the other person mentioned and it will keep them from landing on the net. Warning do not put permathone on your skin. It is only for the outside of your clothes.
I used to run with my shirt in my hand and use it as a horse tail and just “swat” my head/neck/back every couple strides. Yes I looked crazy, no it wasn’t that effective.
The ST approved repsonse is: " Why are you only running at a 6:30 pace?".
Good luck finding the real answer. I am lucky enough that the black flies around me are a little slower. They seem to congregrate on the uphill portions of my favorite trails though…
How much deet is in the bug spray you used?
Some sprays are pretty light, and would wash out pretty quickly in your sweat.
I use a 30% deet and it works pretty well on runs around our cottage in northern Ontario. (ST, please spare me all the warnings that deet causes cancer).
Even this usually washes out on a long run.
They are likely either deer flies or horse flies. The deer flies have a hint of yellow on their body and are about the size of a regular bluebottle fly while the horse flies are almost twice the size of a bluebottle and are mainly black in colour. The deer flies are especially annoying, as they will circle your head repeatedly before dive-bombing your shoulder, back, ass or calf for a bite, despite your running movement. The horse flies will circle you too, but are less patient. They go in for a meal much quicker and take a porterhouse steak out of you rather than just a filet! (Actually they are both blood-suckers, but you get the point).
They are attracted to movement. One thing I discovered was that if I wore a lighter shade of clothing, they would not chase me as long, and give up sooner. The deer flies seem to be limited in range from where they attack you from, but the horse flies seem to be able to chase you for miles. I remember one occasion I had the bastards chase me on my mountain bike in northern Saskatchewan during a particularly bad year for bugs. I was able to avoid their stalking, circling pattern once I was up to speed, and thinking I had dropped them “checked 6” to see if any were following me. To my horror, there were HUNDREDS of them, like a scene from Hells Angels (Howard Hughes, 1930), swarming, swooping, diving, and clearly drafting a few feet off my rear wheel! I ended up doing a VO2Max workout that day.
Anyhow, one of the joys of being Canadian is having to grow up dealing with flying bugs that bite, so you learn to ignore their circling and just mitigate the part that hurts. Loose, light clothing that moves a lot when you move, preferably with a layer underneath, makes it hard for them to make contact with your skin and have a meal. Wear a white hat and a light coloured top. I always hated the stuff, but in desperation I would occasionally wear Deep Woods (F**k) Off. All the Deet in the world won’t stop them from circling your head, so just try to relax and not let that part of their behavior get to you.
Its that time of the year again, those pesky flies circle you and attack your head/neck while out running, especially in the woods. Nasty. I live in CT. I’ve tried everythign from bug spray to a wedding vail (sorta- some cloth over my head)… The vail is kinda ridiculous and adds a little to the heat factor, but its not bad. Its just a pain to put on and it really looks ridiculous. I’ve tried all bug sprays from the typical to natural stuff and nothing works. These are big black flies that can keep up to a 6:30 pace …its nuts. They are really annoying and do affect my runs (I’m already miserable and suffering and then you have these bugs attacking you!).
HELP!
Well…at least you don’t live in Australia…no one tells you how bad the flies are there. Worst thing about the place.
they should be gone soon, then make way for the deer flies. I had three confirmed KIA deerflies this morning. Little bastards.
Black fly bites are disgusting, they hang around for months. They need cold running water to breed, maybe avoid places with that until they depart, which should be soon hereabouts.
they are probably deer flies, the season just started here in NH too. if you don’t mind wearing a hat, try these http://www.deerflypatches.com/
my record from last year is 68 during one walk with the dogs.
if mountain biking, put duct tape on your helmet and then attach strips of fly paper to it.
Same thing growing up in the midwest. I would ride my 8 speed down a country road, look over my shoulder and see them chasing me and feel them bumping into the back of my head…I hated it so badly I now live somewhere I dont ever have to deal with large flies. They like CO2 and movement…so your hosed and they can easily keep up at 6:30…I would try that Outdoor Research head net so you can calm down and try to settle in on your run and not be crazed like I used to be…
Everything that Dave said - but my experience is actually that white shirts attract them whereas darker shirts not so much. I’ll spray the same product on my hat - and then will wear a loose fitting shirt that I’ll ‘adjust’ at the collar every few minutes - that tends to shake them off. But, in a week or so - nothing I will be able to do on my favorite run course - I need to redirect and run somewhere else.
