What do you do about deer flies when you run?

I spray bug spray with deet on a baseball cap and wear it backwards. I spray more on my back and a little on my chest. Even when I run shirtless I don't have a problem. They still fly around you but they don't land.

why oh why wrote:

Amazon has some weird products to control deer flies. They have a sticky patch that you stick on your cap. Deer fly like to land on heads and they get stuck. Actually the reviews were not bad. But running with deer flies stuck to your cap seems weird.

But the other product is really weird. You run with a plastic dragon fly attached by a wire to your cap. It flies around your head when you run. Many said it worked.

Any runners try these? Or what else works for you.

People already think runners are different and now you would be wearing that stuff?

None of the sprays work. Placebo effect if anyone claims so. Ditto with all white clothing. I am dark complected in the summer, so that is probably what they notice.

That sticky tape is the only thing that has worked for me. They will do the couple flybys and then attempt to land at the highest spot which I have on the top of my cap. I usually have a half dozen collected at the end of the run. Occasionally their wings buzz up there, but I have gotten used to it. Beats having them constantly pestering and I can run in peace.

BTW, Walmart sells the same thing in the sporting goods section of their store.

Live in Western Oregon, where there are no deer flies or horse flies.

adductor_injured wrote:

None of the sprays work. Placebo effect if anyone claims so. Ditto with all white clothing. I am dark complected in the summer, so that is probably what they notice.

That sticky tape is the only thing that has worked for me. They will do the couple flybys and then attempt to land at the highest spot which I have on the top of my cap. I usually have a half dozen collected at the end of the run. Occasionally their wings buzz up there, but I have gotten used to it. Beats having them constantly pestering and I can run in peace.

BTW, Walmart sells the same thing in the sporting goods section of their store.

That's good to know. The reviews on line match your post. They suggest using an old hat because the adhesive leaves a mark. I would garner some satisfaction from killing a few of those nasty bugs.

The sprays haven't worked for me either but I only put it on hat and clothes. Don't like it on my skin.

But how odd does it look. Have you had comments from people?

hetrn wrote:

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now we're talkin

Umm. They are an animal just like you. They deserve life just like you. Omg

Absorbine Jr applied to the back of the neck and ears works. Combine with a backward baseball cap. May need to reapply if sweating a lot.

I just deal with it. Have to admit though, I think the dragonfly lure is hilarious and I'd love to try it.

Sometimes I wear the anti bug Badger Balm but sometimes I feel like it just pisses them off

hard man wrote:

I just deal with it. Have to admit though, I think the dragonfly lure is hilarious and I'd love to try it.

Sometimes I wear the anti bug Badger Balm but sometimes I feel like it just pisses them off

I sometimes run by a canal and I have been bothered by deer flies but as soon as a dragon fly starts to fly near me the deer fly disappear. And if you are lucky enough to have one or two dragon flies stay near you while you run, you have no problem with the deer flies.

So that idea isn't so crazy.

My local running shoe store sells the deerfly sticky patches and many in the local running club say they work great. I made my own cheaper equivalent by cutting a section of fly ribbon and sticking it to a piece of plastic such as the blue section the bag my Aldi stores uses for spinach. Supposedly studies have found deer fly are attracted to black and dark blue. I could probably use any bag as the fly ribbon is a dark brown. I use safety pins to attach the corners of the plastic bag to the top backside of my running hat. It can stain a hat if the fly ribbon touches it. I managed to get the stain out with GooGone or something else.

I did not know Walmart sold deer fly patches. I see them at link below. I can understand making it clear to blend with hat but if deer fly attack highest point and attracted to dark colors then make it dark.

Below are the patches sold at Amazon

I have used bug spray with deet. I found if I spray just my hat the deer fly will circle around my head 2 to 8 times and then bite my temple, my shoulders, the back of my neck, my upper back that is not covered by my top, my forearms or my lower arms in roughly the order. Basically the will bite any exposed skin above the waist. They will almost always strike the back of the head first if there is no spray on the hat. I think after they fail in biting through a hat they move on to another location. They are tenacious and will circle and attack for a mile or two. I cannot out run them. They will circle and then attack and then circle again if you swat at them. I stopped wearing my wedding ring on runs due to ring hurting my head as I slapped at the deer fly. I have managed to kill them with my hand but one must keep their fingers closed and swat quickly at the first sensation of something biting. I am most likely to encounter them when traveling below tree branches. They attack the windshield and side windows of our vehicles when we pull into our driveway when they are at their peak.

I never planned to post here but figured I'd add my method of dealing with them. I normally take a dryer sheet, rub it on my arms and neck, then tie it to the back of my hat. Apparently they dislike the scent or something. Hope it helps. Has helped me tremendously.

I had problems with these flies a lot in Tallahassee. I just dealt with them. It made me run faster. Another option is you're running in a group and you pass the flies onto another runner like a game of hot potato.

adductor_injured wrote:

But how odd does it look. Have you had comments from people?

I am one to not care what other people think. Maybe a little bit of my antisocial behavior might work out better for you. All I care about is not getting sliced up by those little monsters.

BTW, the cap side as just a little strip of adhesive. So I don't find it leaves marks on my cap at all. Just the opposite, it will fall off too easily. I use doubled over packaging tape to keep it on my cap.

One of the former D1 runners that I know in real life and follow on Strava reported good results with a dryer sheet too. I'll have to give that a try.

I don't know how fast you are able to run but I have not outrun them when I was probably running around a 7:30 pace. They fly very fast around my head so assume they would follow me even if I was running at mile race pace.

If one has been attacked by by multiple deer flies on a run with the attacks easily lasting say a mile or more then the concern about what one looks like or comments from others changes fades quickly. I'd rather use something that works and allows me to focus on my run and enjoy my run rather than look like an idiot smacking my head, face, neck, and shoulders throughout much of a run and suffer with bites. I did not notice a recent deer fly in time and the bite bothered me slightly for the rest of the run. I could still feel the soreness and bump a day or two later.

why oh why wrote:

Amazon has some weird products to control deer flies. They have a sticky patch that you stick on your cap. Deer fly like to land on heads and they get stuck. Actually the reviews were not bad. But running with deer flies stuck to your cap seems weird.

But the other product is really weird. You run with a plastic dragon fly attached by a wire to your cap. It flies around your head when you run. Many said it worked.

Any runners try these? Or what else works for you.

1. Wear at least short sleeves.

2. Wear a hat and spray it with OFF.

3. Safety pin a Bounce dryer sheet (original scent) to the back of your hat. Deer flies hate the detergent smell. Fold the dryer sheet to a flat point like when you make a paper airplane and safety pin it at the point.

4. Of course spray OFF on your arms and legs.

If the flies are really bad the only thing that's going to keep them off of your head is a netted hat impregnated with bug spray.

Outdoor research Sunrunner baseball cap keeps the flies out of my hair. I spray it with bug repellent. I don’t know how useful this is, but I understand the deer flies do not like the smell of lavender. During deerfly season I use lavender soap and shampoo.

When deer flies over me I duck.