I made the mistake of going for a ride right at sunset last night. It was humid, with no wind, which meant HORDES of little bitty bugs all over the place. I swear to god it was like being a blue whale swimming through a swarm of krill. I had to keep my mouth closed, and even though I wear glasses I ended up with several of them in my eyes. There were times when I had to look straight down or squint my eyes so tight I could barely see. It is the first time in my life I wished for a good wind while riding.

In the Fall here, we get swarms of gnats. They tend to like shady places, so as you're riding around you'll pass beneath a tree and zap!.... Looks like someone sprayed 'em out of a paint sprayer.
At least they don't sting.

If you were riding near water, try a different route until the wee beasties subside. I have a nice paved trail near me, along Braes Bayou in nearby Houston, Texas, but at times, like now, I stay away from there at night. A mere one block away from the water, there will be no bugs for breakfast. Your bugs may vary, of course.

South of town on a normal route there are these biting horse flies that are the worst. You can see a whole flock of these things following you if you watch your shadow. They get into your draft and first part of you that is presented is your butt. They bite through your shorts. The bite is about twice as bad as a standard spider bite, and the duration is three times longer.

^ holy ****, they draft you?!

I got tagged by a horse fly once as a kid. hurt like hell and it tore a chunk of skin off me!

I have had this happen. It was in the afternoon and I was wearing sunscreen so they stuck to my arms, legs, and face. I though I had wiped them all off by the end of the ride, but when I took off my sunglasses I noticed other riders staring at me. I had a little line of bugs right where the edge of my sunglasses hit my cheekbones.

Once when I was stopped on a path in a local forest, a Chipmunk came running at me at a high rate of speed. It ran right up my pants and leaped into my shirt pocket. A second later, a big ol' puddy-cat appeared and looked at me as if to say "Have you seen my afternoon snack around here?"

Once the cat was satisfied I wasn't a Chipmunk, it continued on his way. I walked a ways and fished the trembling 'munk out of my pocket and let it go. Then I went back to my bike and continued my ride.

yup, those wee beasties... once i was hauling ass and boom a swarm hits my face and a few went straight in my mouth, smack into my eyes, and up my nose.... it was not fun to say the least.