Prior to two years ago, in two decades of weekend trail riding, I had been stung by an insect while riding a total of two times. In 2015, my first year cycle commuting, I wasn't stung at all. So far this year, on the same path, I've been stung 4 times: twice in the chest just below the chin, once in the temple, and once in the ear (I kid you not, just at the opening of the ear canal).

The stings have all felt like yellow jacket stings, which are somewhat common in Colorado.

yellow_jacket.jpg

Their stings aren't too painful initially, but then they ache annoyingly for several hours afterwards.

In each case, I've been surprised by how hard the bug hits me. I've received these stings at speeds probably between 15 and 20 mph, so the bug packs a mini wallop. I suppose he (or she) stings me out of surprise.

I did some searching on the forums and I notice stings coming up occasionally, but I didn't find a conversation specifically about it.

How often do you get stung? Do you take any particular steps to avoid them? Or is it simply a fact of life when you're racking up the miles day in and day out?