• enemy of the hive
      • Horse fly chased me for almost 2 miles today 5/21/2010 3:06AM
      • enemy of the hive
      • Today on my run through a forest next to my house I noticed a horse fly kept on going into my hair, I kept trying to hit it away but it always came back to me, I tried to out run it by literally sprinting a quarter of a mile but that little fuc*** was quick. This thing was smart also, I kept zig zagging and making sharp turns but the little guy didn't quit intill I eventually ran into a group of people and it attached on to them. I looked back and saw that now those people were going crazy swinging all over the place trying to get the fly off of them.

        Why did this happen? This is my first time in the "deep" south so I never really had to deal with these huge agressive bugs. Can I do something to avoid this, other then stop running in this forest.
    • dontbotherme
      • RE: Horse fly chased me for almost 2 miles today 5/21/2010 3:30AM - in reply to enemy of the hive
      • dontbotherme
      • This happened to me a lot when I did runsin wooded areas (in north Florida). Bug spray usually worked, but they still went after me sometimes. They don't attack as much when it's dryer out I believe (no sight of them during fall/winter). Maybe just avoid the forest when it's wet from rain.
    • they are fast...real fast
      • RE: Horse fly chased me for almost 2 miles today 5/21/2010 8:47AM - in reply to enemy of the hive
      • they are fast...real fast
      • Horse flys can fly around 90mph so gonne be pretty tough to outrun! Not sure they can sustain that for 5K though :)
    • local man
      • RE: Horse fly chased me for almost 2 miles today 5/21/2010 10:11AM - in reply to they are fast...real fast
      • local man
      • As a resident of North Florida for the last 24 years, I can assure you that you were chased not by a horsefly, but by a deerfly (also called yellow fly). Not that it makes your situation any better. They can't fly 90 miles per hour (more like 20ish, but that's plenty fast enough to keep up with a distance runner). They're attracted to movement and dark colors, hence it attacking your head. Unfortunately, they are omnipresent in all wooded areas between May and September.

        Wearing bug spray might work, but it feels like you're wearing a sticky, tight, full-body shirt. I always feel a little ill if I try to run while wearing bug spray. Your best bet is to either avoid the woods or run with other people. You can't really outrun them, though they usually give up after biting you a couple times over a quarter mile. Another option is to carry a t-shirt and swat your back and shoulders like a horse swishing its tail. Bottom line: they suck and make running in the woods miserable during the summer.
    • coco2
    • Canuckster
      • RE: Horse fly chased me for almost 2 miles today 5/21/2010 10:40AM - in reply to coco2
      • Canuckster
      • coco2 wrote:
        I used to deal with those F'ers up in MD. Was a great trail to run on except for those things.
        Same deal around here. Get a white hat - maybe one with the flaps in the back that hang over your neck.

        Add a t-shirt, or long sleeve shirt if you can handle the heat.

        Then just get used to the buzzing. They are a huge pain.
    • sd fasdf sad
    • just my 2 cents
      • RE: Horse fly chased me for almost 2 miles today 5/21/2010 11:41AM - in reply to Canuckster
      • just my 2 cents
      • Canuckster wrote:
        Same deal around here. Get a white hat - maybe one with the flaps in the back that hang over your neck.
        I have the same problem here in the summer. A simple running hat made a huge difference for me. Those damn things can get relentless and really ruin a good trail run.
    • Traild bug
      • RE: Horse fly chased me for almost 2 miles today 5/21/2010 11:52AM - in reply to enemy of the hive
      • Traild bug
      • Those little pricks hurt like a mother - they must secret some type of anesthetic saliva or something, because you don't feel the little f***ers on your back until they're pulling out and it's too late.

        I've managed to smash one after it's filled its belly with my blood, only to have my blood smatter all over me along with smushed deer fly.
    • Canuckster
      • RE: Horse fly chased me for almost 2 miles today 5/21/2010 12:09PM - in reply to X-Runner
      • Canuckster
      • X-Runner wrote:
        2 miles seems like a long way to fly without stopping.
        I thought they landed often.
        They will land often - on your head. Two miles is nothing for those things. They will stay with your for an hour run - or be replaced by others along the way.
    • Irritated
      • RE: Horse fly chased me for almost 2 miles today 6/1/2010 8:28AM - in reply to enemy of the hive
      • Irritated
      • I live in Mississippi and I have been tormented by horse flies and deer flies for well over five years and it's not just when I go outside to walk. Six months out of the year I pull into my driveway and turn my car off at the end of the day. As I am getting my things together to go inside, I hear pecks on the windows around the outside of my car. Guess who? They wait for me to get out and head for the house and swarm me every time. Same thing happens in the mornings. I don't live in a wet swampy area and there aren't and horses or livestock for at least a mile in any direction.

        Humidity undoubtedly doesn't play a role in their activity either as we have not had any rain for about two weeks and the current humidity is 30%. Very unusual for Mississippi. I bring that up because I was just chased an hour ago during my walk in a local city park. Of course they were bouncing off my car windows when I got back home too and nearly got indoors with me. My neighbors probably think I'm a lunatic with my arms flailing in the air between the car and the front door.

        I came across a .pdf file on horse flies and deer flies that I thought was helpful. I am yet to try the methods for getting rid of them.

        http://www.tennessee.gov/envir.../flies.pdf
    • some random guy
      • RE: Horse fly chased me for almost 2 miles today 6/1/2010 8:58AM - in reply to El Mastero
      • some random guy
      • Those things are so much faster than regular flies. I had the same problem in the mountains of Washington one summer. They would lock on and annoy me for at least a mile every time. There wasn't much I could do about them. I just would swat around if I ever heard them stop buzzing or felt them land on me.
    • caveman
      • RE: Horse fly chased me for almost 2 miles today 6/1/2010 9:09AM - in reply to enemy of the hive
      • caveman
      • The best way to avoid the little buggers from getting into your hair is to shave your head or at least get a crew cut.
    • maybe a shower
      • RE: Horse fly chased me for almost 2 miles today 6/1/2010 9:19AM - in reply to caveman
      • maybe a shower
      • They always say those things like dung and sugar, and I doubt your sugar.