# Hurk. That was a fly.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [April 30, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431 "2012-04-30T17:39:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/1 "2012-04-30T17:39:23Z")
There I was, cycling in to work this morning, enjoying the spring sunshine after a wet weekend, breathing hard coming up Tower Hill. Suddenly I see a blur of something heading towards my face, and then… hurk. There’s a big bug of some kind wriggling in the back of my throat. Based on the blur I saw and the thud of impact, I’m guessing a big housefly.
I tried to cough it up, no luck. It’s still stuck there. I can’t really stop, as I’m in fast-moving traffic. I cough a bit more, which just makes me gag, but the bug is still stuck there. At this point, I have to decide, do I want a live insect wriggling around in the back of my throat, or do I just swallow the damn thing. I swallowed it.
That was eight hours ago. I still feel slightly ill when I think about what flies in London spend most of their time walking on. ☹
On the plus side, I guess I came out of it better than the fly. And at least it wasn’t a wasp.
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### Author:  [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/2 "2012-04-30T18:13:23Z")
Ahhahaha, I share your pain. This exact thing happened to me yesterday on my bike, but I was able to cough it back in to my mouth and spit it out (on to my hand, grossly enough).
At least you didn’t inhale it fully rather then swallow it!
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### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/3 "2012-04-30T18:38:16Z")
You swallowed a fly? I know an old lady that did that once…
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### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/4 "2012-04-30T22:03:01Z")
> [@blondebear](#):
>
> You swallowed a fly? I know an old lady that did that once…
Yeah I’m just trying to catch a bird at the moment. I’ll keep you posted.
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### Author:  [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2012, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/5 "2012-04-30T22:17:03Z")
> [@blondebear](#):
>
> You swallowed a fly? I know an old lady that did that once…
But do you know why? Perhaps she’ll die.
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### Author:  [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/6 "2012-04-30T22:36:51Z")
> [@Colophon](#):
>
> Yeah I’m just trying to catch a bird at the moment. I’ll keep you posted.
Let us know before you get to horse.
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### Author:  [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/7 "2012-04-30T23:10:22Z")
I feel for ya. Once, many years ago, I was riding my horse around the arena with some friends, and I was laughing at something or other. A big honkin’ HORSE FLY flew in my mouth and hit the back os my throat! I hacked and gagged and ended up falling off the horse, and swallowed it anyway.
Ugh… makes me ill thinking about it…
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### Author:  [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/8 "2012-05-01T00:09:19Z")
I swallowed a midge on the way home the other night. I try to keep one bidon with at least some water in it on my bike at all times for this purpose. Never works out that way, though.
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### Author:  [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/9 "2012-05-01T00:17:09Z")
> [@Colophon](#):
>
> Yeah I’m just trying to catch a bird at the moment. I’ll keep you posted.
You can’t just skip the spider and think it’ll all work out, you know.
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### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2012, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/10 "2012-05-01T00:21:39Z")
On the trail that I ride there’s been a big gnat hatch (band name?). Even if I’m lucky enough not to swallow a few, it feels really gross to ride through a big cloud of them.
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### Author:  [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2012, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/11 "2012-05-01T09:07:20Z")
All I can say is… sympathies. Flies taste disgusting, based on my one experience many years ago, when I was cycling along a lake and opened my mouth to take a deep breath. The fly went straight to the back of my throat and when I reflexively swallowed, it went part-way down and then got stuck. I could feel it wriggling around in my throat for several minutes, and that was not a pleasant experience, I can assure you.
So yes, I’ve deep-throated a fly and I now understand why Jain monks wear masks.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2012, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/12 "2012-05-01T10:17:43Z")
Wow. And yuck. I think it’s bad enough when I walk through a spiderweb…
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### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2012, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/13 "2012-05-01T10:34:32Z")
> [@Antigen](#):
>
> You can’t just skip the spider and think it’ll all work out, you know.
Who says I skipped it? 😉
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### Author:  [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2012, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/14 "2012-05-01T12:59:42Z")
> [@Dervorin](#):
>
> So yes, I’ve deep-throated a fly and I now understand why Jain monks wear masks.
Usually one opens the fly before deep-throating.
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### Author:  [@Bloodless\_Turnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bloodless_Turnip)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2012, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/15 "2012-05-01T13:16:44Z")
I once saw a friend snore down some sort of flying stinging bug. It apparently stung him in the throat on the way down.
Thank goodness he wasn’t allergic or anything, because I was laughing too hard to be much help.
If there is a hell I’m probably going to it over that.
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### Author:  [@InsomniaMama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InsomniaMama)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/16 "2012-05-01T19:33:48Z")
Just recently I was reflecting back on my happy days of biking to work. It was 13 miles each way, very enjoyable. The office had a workout facility, so no problems with the shower aspect. Brought a change of clothes, blah blah.
Anyway, this one day it was pretty hot, and I worked up a good sweat. When I arrived home, I looked down at my chest and saw that a fair amount of little gnats had been embedded in my sweat. On my chest.
I was one sexy woman!
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### Author:  [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)
#### Post date: [May 2, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/17 "2012-05-02T03:28:31Z")
Also known as “Protein snack”!
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### Author:  [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)
#### Post date: [May 2, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/18 "2012-05-02T03:46:15Z")
Years ago, **Suburban Plankton** and I were out riding bikes and I inhaled a small flying bug up my nose. I could totally feel it wriggling around in my nasal passages. I tried blowing it back out about a hundred times, but it wasn’t coming. Evenually, I managed to snort/sniffle it down into my throat and hock it up out through my mouth. It was covered in mucus, but still moving when it hit the ground.
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [May 2, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/19 "2012-05-02T03:56:33Z")
> [@Colophon](#):
>
> Yeah I’m just trying to catch a bird at the moment. I’ll keep you posted.
Well, now, don’t be hasty. You said it was wriggling, but did it also jiggle and tickle inside you? If so, good on you for being proactive and skipping ahead to the bird.
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### Author:  [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)
#### Post date: [May 2, 2012, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurk-that-was-a-fly/620431/20 "2012-05-02T05:36:28Z")
Ahh, the taste of an Australian summer 🙂 Happens all the time during the warmer months here.
I used to work with a guy who did a lot of cross-country motorbike racing through some of the local pine forests. He said you could always spot the new guys who rode with their helmet visors up as they were the ones dancing around next to their bike trying to remove their helmet after riding through an occupied [Orb web](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_orb-web_spider).
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