Almost got messed up...by an insect
 

I went out to do a short neighborhood spin and kept running into these little red flying bugs. Too small to see until they were in my eye. I got hit in the same eye several times by the damned things, about the size of a gnat, but that felt like straight hydrochloric acid. My eyes and nose instantly started running like I had been hit with pepper spray. I had to pull over immediately without seeing much but water and shadow. How the dang things kept getting behind my glasses and into the same eye, I have no idea. The last time my eyes were so irritated that it blinded me completely for a moment and I had to do an emergency stop on the side of a busy road and just about got hit and entirely my fault.
I have ridden for a number of years and have not ever had a bug hurt like that. They were about the size of the head of a pin and a maroon red color. It almost looked like a seed tick, but with little clear wings. I feel like they must spit or discharge something as a defense, because it was immediate upon touching my eye, even before I blinked.

Anyone in this area have any idea what kind of bug these things are?
I sure hope I don't run into another batch of them, that sucked.

HTFU

Just kidding. I almost wrecked the other day from choking on a June bug.... After getting it out of my throat I started dry heaving since I was already short of breath from a fast training run

Yikes, no idea what those are but they sound pretty nasty. Hope I don't ever come across those -- got a wasp stuck in my jersey the other week -- came out with 5 stings.

Yeah that sucks - I got a bug in my eye one time that burned for a long time, and it was gnat size but not sure if the same type as yours. Just about incapacitated me. Fortunately it's only happened once so far.

I got a bug in my eye, some kind of fly. Thought I got it out and finished my ride (it was about 10 miles to the house). Got home, looked in the mirror and my eye was still super red. I pulled my eyelid down and to my disgust, the fly was still in my eye. It somehow got wedged down under my eyelid. I haven't ridden without glasses since...

I accidentally swallowed what I'm pretty sure was a Rove Beetle. It was weeks before my throat felt the same again. Immediately, I went into something that felt like a major allergic reaction, and then it felt like my throat was closing up. For weeks, I felt like I was swallowing around a grape stuck in my throat, and it felt like I had swallowed something that burned me right down the throat.

Even while wearing riding glasses?

Not sure what kind of bug it could be. I remember recently me and my best friend were out riding at dark and we ran into what felt like a hailstorm of bugs. They ended up stuck to our face,arms,legs,helmet,bike,and anywhere else they could get. I could actually hear them hit my helmet. I managed 3 in my eye before they finally quit and my friend managed one.

I used to carry swim goggles for the gnats during the early spring and late summer in the Sacramento Valley. They looked silly and I had to stop to dump the sweat out of them from time to time, but in the evenings they were the only way to keep the buggers out of my eyes. Our gnats just wiggled with their hard tails. At least they didn't resort to chemical warfare.

Saturday I had a bee fly straight into my left ear and immediately sting me while moving about 27 mph on a downhill. I had to dig it out and flick it away and the whole side of my head burned for the next 5 miles. So far I haven't taken any bugs in the eyes.

Man, screw you guys. I haven't been terrorized by any bugs yet, but after reading this thread I think I'm just gonna stay indoors tonight.

I would have paid to see that. Nice story :D

Are your glasses a close fitting wrap around type?

I got hit by a fly in the eye, by a stinging bee in the shoulder and I have swallowed my fair share of unfortunate insects.

It's just protein... I think.

Yeah, I'm nervous about testing my luck too! Its been a few years since I started riding, and no bugs in the eye, jersey, or ear yet. At least none that I noticed or that could sting me. I hope to keep it that way!

We had a really wet late July and early August, bringing out more insects than usual. Colorado is typically arid, but there are so many bugs out now, along with other wildlife - tons and tons of rabbits, bears and coyotes - it's like riding in freaking Narnia. I've been stung twice this year and spit out my fair share of delicious, nutritious treats from the class insecta.

Sure makes you focus on breathing in through the nose, out through the mouth.

When the sun goes down I switch out my sunglasses for clear lenses. I made the mistake of riding one night without any eye protection and it looked like I got stabbed in the eye with an ice pick the next day due to riding through swarms of bugs. Never again.

What is it with bees and ears - that seems to be a common theme with cyclists. I got a sting on the ear earlier in the summer. We had just stopped and it just smacked into my ear out of nowhere and stung me. It felt like someone was holding a cigarette lighter to my ear for several hours after.

Of course I could never know what a bees actual motivation is, but it appears they swerve to miss you at the last second but don't quite clear your face. They do, however, tend to end up on the side of your head wedged between your ear and helmet. Not a good place to have a bee as you're going 20+ mph.

I have a pair of Serfas glasses with the convertible lenses. IDK what the reason was, they just kept going around them and right into the same eye. I guess I was somewhat lucky, if it had hit my other eye I likely would have had to walk home. Even today my eye is puffy and red as hell. Looks just like someone dotted me right in the eye.
I am very much hoping that this was a random bloom of some rare insect. I never want to run into them again.

I have swallowed a few bugs too, but hot the big ones. Once a butterfly hit me in the the chest, and my jersey got a colorful spot.

The last bug incident was this morning. Something get into my helmet vents, and stuck there. And it started to bite me! I had to stop, take of my helmet and let the booger fly away. Came back home with a big bump on my head.

And yes, always wear glasses and the bugs will not bother your eyes.

http://www.terminix.com/Information/...inging/Thrips/

Never seen a Thrip but could this be the critter?

I got a gigantic bee down the front of my jersey last weekend. It made an actual "thump" sound as it hit my chest. Then it ended up down around my navel somewhere. I frantically unzipped and got it out of there. I can't believe it didn't sting me....

Forgot about bees. I was in mid climb,was in the "zone" and doing good then i felt a itch so scratched at my side then next thing i know my side is on fire. Turns out a bee flew into my jersey and i pissed him off when i scratched. Thankfully i was riding solo or my buddy would have ate my back wheel. I think that's the quickest i've gotten off the road and stopped.

Of course a couple days after I posted in this thread I would have an incident. Was just puffing along on the final stretch of my daily ride and all of a sudden I see something come into my upper vision for a split second, then something about the size of a pea or so hits me... inside my mouth, right at the edge of my tongue and teeth. Instinctively I turn my head to the side and spit whatever it was out. I spend the next five or so minutes wondering what would have happened if it were a bee and happened to sting me on my tongue. I still don't know what it was, it was probably fly or bee-sized.