Last year I was hiking bike trails at local park that is heavily wooded....I came out of the the bike trails the the back of the main trail. I sat down at a bench with a trash can beside with less than a half of mile to walk out to the road through the main wooded trail..I was coming out of the trails at almost dark...i was promptly bitten by a big horse fly...in not much time there were 3 buzzing me trying to bite.. i figured they were in the trash can so i left for the road and my truck. One by one more and more horse flies swarmed me biting me landing in my hair and on my sweaty quick dry shirt and legs. It took me 15 minutes to get out of there and by that time there were about 40 of them swarming and biting me....I had to wet my bandana and use it like a whip just not to be eaten alive...when I finally hit the the open road away from the woods they all dispersed and flew away...Has anyone else had this experience? I didnt even know they would do that....it was not a pleasant experience and was glad I was not further away deeper in the woods..?????

That would be horrible . Thanks for the reminder to carry a can of Deet with me .

Coming soon at your favorite movie house: "THE FLIES"

That was with the deet in my hand ...one of the few things I carry in the woods to hike in the summer for mosquito and ticks...water ,cliff bar and OFF deet spray....It didnt help much....

GET OUT OF OUR WOODS!!!!

About 20 +/- yrs ago a friend and I were out bass fishing some cut backs on lake Whitney. We weren't paying attention to anything. Luckily i looked up and saw this big darck cloud coming over the cliff above us but could t see past that. We pulled out of the cut as it started to rain and some pea sized hail. Then suddenly and violently the wind shifted directions. Turned to look and a tornado was barreling down on us. We turned into a drainage creek, beached the boat and got out. The hail turned to golf ball size so we moved up the creek and got under some cedar trees for protection. As the tornado started passing by, now getting pummeled by hail and debris, swams of horse flies started attacking. With [censored] still flying through the air all we could do was rip off some branches and start beating ourselves with them to keep the dang things at bay. Finally the hail let up enough to get out of there and back to the boat. Get to the boat and its flooded sitting on the rocks. All we had to bail water at the time was to water bottles. Still getting bit we started bailing water while still beating ourselves with the branches. Got the boat floating enough so as my friend could get enough forward momentum going were i could pull the drain plug and get the water out. So the boat it now draind and we make it about a 1/4 mile and to top it off, spun the hub. So we idled for 2 more hours back to the boat ramp. Never went fishing with him again.

Those suckers get big here on the coast-You could be out in the middle of a bay, far from shore and SMACK! The bite is unpleasant.

Wife, I and the kids were at turner falls a few years back. Standing in the stream below the the swim hole when one commenced to feasting on me. I began swinging and swatting while standing on snot slick rocks. Feet slipped out from under me and I landed flat on my back. SOBs hurt

Evil critters. I remember getting bit by them every summer when I was kid in the pool. Always seemed like individuals. A swarm? No thanks.

Only the females bite, and they need blood to lay their eggs. You got into a breeding swarm. It happens in the spring when the larvae from last year's overwintering pupate and then a few weeks later turn into adult flies. The adults mature and get ready to breed for the first time. There were a lot in that area that all needed blood at once, and you were the only handy supply.

I've been getting bit fishing Lewisville, little bastards!

Sometimes a shower helps.........just sayin.

From what I've learned bike riding trails and woods, the bugs, a lot of the "flying" types, come out at sundown and near brush, not so much in the open space.

As to the initial question, no, I've never been swarmed by horse flies, or any other bugs for that matter...luckily.

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Wow "on the fly" the perfect storm....no that's a bad day...bad month for that matter...

Canino....good to know what is was happening...now I understand more....So they were NOT attracted to me sweating?