When my sister and I found a restaurant in a lush courtyard with waterfalls in Maui, we thought it was great atmosphere. Then the food was served and flies descended out of nowhere on the solid food. I had just experienced seasickness, so all I thought I could down was noodle soup. The flies didn’t bother me.
I was about to order eggs at a diner once, until I saw the grill cook turn aside and smack a fly on the counter with his spatula. Without missing a beat, he went back to flipping the eggs and burgers on the grill. I changed my order to, “Just coffee, thanks.”
Sheesh! If you’ve got a reasonably healthy immune system most bugs aren’t going to do you any harm, and there’s a lot more of them than there are of you!
i carry a towel and swat at the gnats and mosquitoes when my dog and i are waking the trails at the park. it has been so hot and humid lately and we go early the morning but the bugs are up and ready to attack as soon as you enter the woods!
With cattle being the attraction for so many flies, if you succeed in squashing one with your hand, give a thought to what that fly has been walking in and feeding on, before you touch your food with that hand…
Flying bugs love me – have done so since I was a girl. I hate dealing with spray on to keep bugs away while also dealing with sun lotion as I am also very fair. First night Out on a trip one summer I had 8 bites on face. I can get 2 or 3 bites walking the less 20 ft from the door to our car on the driveway at home.
I found something called Bug Bands. (There are other brands also.) It looks like the plastic bracelets for causes which were popular a few years back. They are impregnated with something – by the odor I would say citronella – and are even safe for children. Works very well. Since it says it can be worn on the ankle under pants, when we do a reenactment event I put it on a ribbon and hang it from my waistband inside my petticoat (skirt) and it works fine that way also and is unseen by the public.
chief tommy about 3 years ago
A bad rap for what?
alasko about 3 years ago
On the other hand, (of Arlo,) flies deserve all the beating that they get.
Da'Dad about 3 years ago
I’m sure bugs are vital for something like pollinating but they do take the fun out of a picnic.
Say What? Premium Member about 3 years ago
Ants at a picnic? Eh.
Ants in a kitchen? All Hell breaks loose.
whahoppened about 3 years ago
You need those little net igloo’s to keep ’em from wiping their feet on your ’tater salad.
mddshubby2005 about 3 years ago
Those ants would prefer your chicken wrap, rather than a bum one.
Sanspareil about 3 years ago
Arlo should have ANTicipated that the flies are the real problem!
John Smith about 3 years ago
I asked my daughter if she’d seen my newspaper…
She told me that newspapers are old school. She said that people use tablets nowadays and handed me her iPad.
That fly didn’t stand a chance.
SusanSunshine Premium Member about 3 years ago
Around here it’s yellow jackets that are often the menace, especially in public spaces … and you don’t want to swat ’em with your hand.
In fact swatting them at all can bring their angry cousins.
They’re not everywhere… sometimes you luck out, but other times you feel like giving up and eating in the car.
You keep everything that you can covered, buy the little nets to put over anything open, and watch out for beverage cans, where they can hide.
Some people believe a decoy plate of food on another table works.. I haven’t seen that happen.
The parks often use baits and sprays to control them… but sprays are kind of scary too.
Nonetheless, there’s one local park where I won’t picnic any more because yellow jackets always spoil it.
At home, if you have them, you can use hanging traps, and root out the nests, which sometimes takes professional help.
I don’t usually get any in my yard… I get paper wasps instead, which look just as scary but tend to run away instead of stinging.
Try telling a five year old that.
timbob2313 Premium Member about 3 years ago
poor picnic spot if cows were close by you have to have flies. At least they aren’t biting black flies like those found in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
jarvisloop about 3 years ago
As I once told a radical nature lover, “Always remember this: You may love nature, but all it wants is to have you for lunch.”
She hasn’t spoken to me since.
Yeah, I still chuckle over that.
Michael G. about 3 years ago
No. No, they don’t. We don’t like them but there’s a reason for them. Grr.
kingbrlee Premium Member about 3 years ago
When I was a teen I worked in a restaurant and in the kitchen there was a series of pictures showing how flies eat their food. They are nasty bugs.
formathe about 3 years ago
problem is you kill ONE bug and 164 come to the funeral.
joefearsnothing about 3 years ago
It’s not a bum rap when they are crawling up your leg! ;o{
raybarb44 about 3 years ago
Depends where you find them…..
Thinkingblade about 3 years ago
The eye roll on the requested high five … classic.
Ermine Notyours about 3 years ago
When my sister and I found a restaurant in a lush courtyard with waterfalls in Maui, we thought it was great atmosphere. Then the food was served and flies descended out of nowhere on the solid food. I had just experienced seasickness, so all I thought I could down was noodle soup. The flies didn’t bother me.
joedon2007 about 3 years ago
Arlo will be hearing from PETA soon
dv1093 about 3 years ago
I don’t know, a roadside picnic at a rest stop on a concrete picnic table still sounds fun to me.
paranormal about 3 years ago
Some aunts do too…
KEA about 3 years ago
yeah, it’s the yellow jackets that really mess up picnics
CynthiaLeigh about 3 years ago
I’d eat in the car.
Spoonbone about 3 years ago
I was about to order eggs at a diner once, until I saw the grill cook turn aside and smack a fly on the counter with his spatula. Without missing a beat, he went back to flipping the eggs and burgers on the grill. I changed my order to, “Just coffee, thanks.”
Scott S about 3 years ago
Eating outside last week we encountered midges, a/k/a no-see-ums. I’ve heard of them but never experienced them before.
Don’t care to experience them again.
JP Steve Premium Member about 3 years ago
Sheesh! If you’ve got a reasonably healthy immune system most bugs aren’t going to do you any harm, and there’s a lot more of them than there are of you!
locake about 3 years ago
Picnics are way overrated. The wind often blows your plate or napkin away.
cabalonrye about 3 years ago
There’s a reason why mankind spent all that time and energy to get away from nature.
j.l.farmer about 3 years ago
i carry a towel and swat at the gnats and mosquitoes when my dog and i are waking the trails at the park. it has been so hot and humid lately and we go early the morning but the bugs are up and ready to attack as soon as you enter the woods!
Ukko wilko about 3 years ago
With cattle being the attraction for so many flies, if you succeed in squashing one with your hand, give a thought to what that fly has been walking in and feeding on, before you touch your food with that hand…
mafastore about 3 years ago
Flying bugs love me – have done so since I was a girl. I hate dealing with spray on to keep bugs away while also dealing with sun lotion as I am also very fair. First night Out on a trip one summer I had 8 bites on face. I can get 2 or 3 bites walking the less 20 ft from the door to our car on the driveway at home.
I found something called Bug Bands. (There are other brands also.) It looks like the plastic bracelets for causes which were popular a few years back. They are impregnated with something – by the odor I would say citronella – and are even safe for children. Works very well. Since it says it can be worn on the ankle under pants, when we do a reenactment event I put it on a ribbon and hang it from my waistband inside my petticoat (skirt) and it works fine that way also and is unseen by the public.
tomfromthe50s about 3 years ago
A diaper is also a bum wrap.
tomfromthe50s 8 months ago
I hear that in England, a bum wrap" is called a “diaper”.