Hornets

[lilbill15]

“Horse flies love damp areas and hot weather. During the summermonths, you're likely to find them in pasturelands near creeks, damp woodlands and in long grasses. According to the Northumberland Wildlife Trust, peak horsefly season is between May and September”.  Due to Cousin @Keith Batey’ s diligence I have found out the wee ferocious beasties weren’t hornets after all but a particularly aggressive swarm of horseflies! I didn’t know there’s a whole range of them and was fooled by the yellowish brown colour. Cuzzie Keith insisted I should take a closer look at horseflies on Google and he was absolutely right, all the information fitted. It’s now over 2 weeks since I was bitten twice on my right ankle and I’m still scratching (currently got my feet in a foot spa laced with Epsom salts and lavender oil) A whole new experience for me; I grew up knowing and fearing “clegs ”, but these buggers were a totally different experience and vicious with it! It’ll be Winter when I venture out to the remains of Puce Bush Farm again 🥺!

[Canny lass]

Vicious little beggars! ... and not always so 'little'. I've seen them almost 3 cm long. Here's a true story:

The local name for horse flies here is "klägg" (pronounced 'clegg'). In my first job here the boss asked me to nip down to the corner bakery and by a dozen buns for the afternoon coffee break. I asked if he wanted any particular sort. Imagine my surprise when he answered "just get anything with klägg in it or on it". 

I wandered off to the bakery agog with anticipation expecting to be introduced to some new scandinavian delicacy and in my mind I was imagining something akin to sweet mincemeat. The bakery staff had a good laugh when I asked for buns with anything made from kläggs. I learned a new word: klägg also meant 'something sticky' like, jam, cream or soft icing. Compare the lovely geordie word 'claggy'. I think it may have come with the vikings.

[lilbill15]

Hiya @Canny lass! Yes, absolutely, that’s where I came unstuck! I’d seen cleggs, knew what they looked like and many a time in childhood ran screaming from these evil monsters 😱xx The beasties who attacked me bore no resemblance to the cleggs I had encountered. Yellowish brown, gang warfare, didn’t know wtf they were. Guessed at hornets but my hero CuzzieKeith made me investigate further and I’ve isolated the beasties; definitely one of the many manifestations of horsefly. It’s 3 weeks since the attack and I’m still scratching, irritated and hating the little buggers 🤬. 🎶I’ll no more a-roving go🎶- cleggs are the the thugs of the insect community and I’m a victim of the evil beasties of nature 😫xxR