www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I had a horrendous “fly experience” yesterday.
At one point I was ‘forced’ out of a really superb meadow by hordes of flies.
It was so unpleasant that I even gave up on easy photographs of High Brown Frit and Valezina Silver Washed Frit due to these nasty little chaps.
I got bitten 3 times – twice on one hand and once on the other, and had non-biting flies crawling all over me – in my ears, and everywhere – horrible.
The cloud around my head had to be seen to be believed.
I have never experienced anything like it. I reckon it must be something to do with the really weird weather we have been having.
So, now, in my camera bag is a pair of thin cotton gloves, and a head net.
It may make me look a little odd, but if it gets me the photo, it has to be worth it.
I am loathe to use insect repellent, as the only time I have done this I got no photographs at all, and it took me some time to work out why!!!
Roger Harding

On this again, I had same experience today in a meadow. I was chasing a few Dark Green Fritillaries and common blues around and these cleg flies seemes to bombard me. Lucky, I still survived after 4 bites. Could not care, wanted shots. Nothing stopped me.

I don't want to use insect repellant either or nothing.

Horse/cleg/dun flies are all the same range of species of stinging biting insects that seem to be worse after a shower or in humid thundery conditions. I suppose they are fortunate in that because they don't use anaesthetic in their bite like mosquitos or ticks that you can feel them pretty quick to wave them away, and with me at least I don't get a nasty itchy allergic lump from them later.
And do you know, although I didn't buy any, I've been looking at various insect repellant products recently and it didn't occur to me once that they were not a good idea when chasing butterflies.... dur....