Flies at Hillcrest & Contermans

[Top Fuel]

Over the last few weeks or so the fly problem at Contermans and Hillcrest has become unbearable. Who else has this problem and does anyone have a solution. I think I have eaten about 10 of them but they are not very tasty. It is getting worse with the heat now. I have just about had enough of riding in that area. Any solutions would be very grateful.

[Eldron]

Over the last few weeks or so the fly problem at Contermans and Hillcrest has become unbearable. Who else has this problem and does anyone have a solution. I think I have eaten about 10 of them but they are not very tasty. It is getting worse with the heat now. I have just about had enough of riding in that area. Any solutions would be very grateful.

 

I think it's just "that time of year". I rode Suikerbosrande in Jhb on Sat and Sun and was swatting flies a lot of the time. Problem is that Suikerbosrand is hectically hilly so you can't even ride away from them!

 

I reckong the fly problem will disappear all by itself...

[Bman]

Over the last few weeks or so the fly problem at Contermans and Hillcrest has become unbearable. Who else has this problem and does anyone have a solution. I think I have eaten about 10 of them but they are not very tasty. It is getting worse with the heat now. I have just about had enough of riding in that area. Any solutions would be very grateful.

ride with your mouth shut

[MildlyWild]

Shower before you ride?

Pay someone to ride in front of you with one of those smelly flie-catching buckets?

Wrap a bandage around your head and mouth?

[shimano 105]

It is a seasonal thing.

[Mellow]

i wonder how much damage it will do if you spray the back of your shirt with doom or some odorless killer

[Top Fuel]

Someone said use peacefull sleep. I was wondering in anyone had tried that.

[Mellow]

Someone said use peacefull sleep. I was wondering in anyone had tried that.

 

peacefull cycle mayme ?

[Scooterza]

Do NOT spray doom or any other kind of insecticide on your clothing or skin. My brother and father walked through a nest of pepper ticks a few years back and decided to DOOM THEM by spraying their legs! Bad mistake. After about 45 minutes they were both feeling very sorry for themselves. That stuff is nasty.

[Mellow]

Do NOT spray doom or any other kind of insecticide on your clothing or skin. My brother and father walked through a nest of pepper ticks a few years back and decided to DOOM THEM by spraying their legs! Bad mistake. After about 45 minutes they were both feeling very sorry for themselves. That stuff is nasty.

 

what happend/side effects ? did the doom hurt their feelings ?

[Headshot]

Its a farm area full of cows innit? Use them as an incentive to be faster on the dh or take up an indoor hobby perhaps?

[RodTi]

New Science magazine had an article/question some time back, about the speed at which flies can fly... One of the answers came from a roadie, who claimed that at about 8km/h(??), he would always "lose" the flies, presumably because they couldn't fly fast enough to keep up with him...

 

This had me thinking all sorts of silly things on my way up to the Cement Path on Paarl Rock the other day... i.e:

 

1.) Do African flies fly faster?;

2.) What about the effects of my slipstream - for something as small as a fly, does me moving through the air result in mini-slipstream currents that make it easier for them to tag along?;

3.) How is it possible that, on the top of a mountain, with not a soul in sight, and presumably, no unnatural sources to attract flies, I could have +/- 30 of the buggers, buzzing around my head?;

4.) How do flies communicate - since it's not as if all 30 showed up at once - started with a few, and then others just seemed to appear out of nowehere??;

and lastly

5.) I really should stop riding alone - so as to a.) share the load i.r.o flies, and b.) stop having such pointless conversations in my head!

 

In spite of all the aforesaid waffling - I think the lesson to be taken from this, is that flies come with the territory and the season - and somewhere along the line, if you ride fast enough, you will drop them!

 

Moral of the story - if you don't like flies: HTFU!

[kosmonooit]

Lets not forget Horse Flies! They even bite through clothing.

 

Dash some Tabard on all over, that works.

[javadude]

Took the family out to Koeberg a few weeks back. We were eaten alive by sand/horse flies. The things have a nasty bite, and my son had a nasty reaction with welts all over the place. He was quite traumatised and doean't want to ride anymore. Hopefully its just seasonal, will try again in December.

[Marlon]

We rode Meerendal, and had the same issue. You don't hear anything except buzzing, even at high speed.

Between the flies and the assloads of ticks we had to stop and knock off every 5 mins, I have vowed to cover myself in Tabard spray before going again.

Insecticide on the skin == bad, rather use a repellant.

[RodTi]

We rode Meerendal, and had the same issue. You don't hear anything except buzzing, even at high speed.

Between the flies and the assloads of ticks we had to stop and knock off every 5 mins, I have vowed to cover myself in Tabard spray before going again.

Insecticide on the skin == bad, rather use a repellant.

 

[Hi-jack on]

 

Hey Marlon - how was your first ST/Mtb trail experience? I presume you survived? Still smiling? Or a bit sore?

 

[Hi-jack off]