Had a day off today and went out, felt something bite my leg and it was a fly, expected it to be a mossie

Really swollen up now and after investigation seems it was a Blandford Fly, saw the bugger and it definitely was one of these critters

Anyone else had one and if so how long did it take to go down again

Cheers

One of my favourite beers that.

Legend has it that the ginger in the beer and ginger in general repels the buggers.

No idea how long it takes to go down.

A few years back a mate got a puncture somewhere near the Stour, cue squadrons of the buggers chowing down on my lower legs while he took his time fixing it. Quite a nippy bite on them too, like a mini horsefly.

My lower legs swelled up like balloons, a mere 3 days with them elevated and bandaged saw me right!

I got stung by a bee or wasp today as I was locking up my bike after riding in. Whenever I get stung riding it is always very insignificant and disappears completely after a few hours. Otherwise, I get a big lump that hurts like hell for a couple of days.

Weird that.

You’re lucky, just been out walking a possible new official mtb trail in our local woods. Clambering thru the undergrowth, the guys in front upset a wasp nest, I (the only one wearing shorts) at the back, copt for five wasp stings on my legs and that’s on top of all the nettles. My legs are singing right now.

I had a few nasty bites off something that looks a bit like them last summer. One of them must have been near a vein, as there was a purple bruised track upstream of the bite, where whatever is in its spit had got into the vein. Itched like a bar steward for weeks.

Got savaged by the buggers in Quebec last week (same species but called ‘black fly’ over there…). Worse than mosquito bites – brushed a load off my leg at one point and hand was streaked in blood. Yeuch. Word on the street is that strong deet stops them biting but doesn’t keep them from bothering you!

Swollen legs & inflamed bites lasted a few days. Used hydrocortisone cream and elevated ’em when I could.

A few days should sort it, little you can do really but ride the storm of swelling and elevate the limb and reduce the itching with creams. Should the ache and swelling persist for more than a few days, seeks further and Professional(Don’t ask STW) advise.

Had a nice Clegg tucking into my shin on Monday, picked it off, stared into it’s amazingly funky eyes before letting it go to fly off and cham down on some other mammal. No swelling or reaction from it’s bite.

Still swollen up nicely and even itchier now after a shower, will give some insect spray a go which I always use and is excellent (homeopathic one that contains pyrethrum)

Thanks for the advice, not been got by these nasty little bleeders before

Whereabouts are you TT? I understood them to be quite localised in the UK.

I’m in Cambridgeshire, apparently they live in Dorset and my neck of the woods along with Oxfordshire

Had similar bites before, but assumed they were mozzies living in a rather wet area surrounded by gravel pits and the Great Ouse
Actually saw this little bugger and it was definitely a fly which I later identified from pictures

mmm…. Blandfod Fly – yummy