# what do these stupid little bugs WANT? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 14, 2000, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-stupid-little-bugs-want/19497 "2000-05-14T09:01:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2000, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-stupid-little-bugs-want/19497/1 "2000-05-14T09:01:17Z")
When I’m running or riding my bike, I accumulate little flying insects. They don’t seem to want to fly away when I stop, and they’re not biting me. They just sit there. What are they doing? Warming their feet? When they are flying in those annoying little clouds under trees, what are they doing? Flying around randomly looking for cyclists to land on? And in case anyone suggests it, they’re not having sex with each other either. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2000, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-stupid-little-bugs-want/19497/2 "2000-05-14T09:16:39Z")
Those tiny gnats swarm together to mate. When you’re waving them away you’re interupting an orgy. Be nice. ---
**Author:** ![QirQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/848f3c/32.png) [@QirQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QirQ)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2000, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-stupid-little-bugs-want/19497/3 "2000-05-14T09:20:16Z")
Maybe they’re having sex with you? Just a thot. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2000, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-stupid-little-bugs-want/19497/4 "2000-05-14T18:34:17Z")
From the Man himself: [Why do clouds of gnats always hover around a fixed point in mid-air?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_069a.html) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2000, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-stupid-little-bugs-want/19497/5 "2000-05-15T00:00:43Z")
It was my understanding and observation that when you’re sweating, you will attract gnats. When you stop sweating, they go away. As to why 2 billion years of evolution should have trained gnats to be attracted to mammal sweat, I have no idea. Is is the moisture? The salt? Maybe it’s the carbon dioxide? Ticks focus on carbon dioxide and drop down out of the trees onto the source, maybe gnats are attracted, too. But why, I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2000, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-stupid-little-bugs-want/19497/6 "2000-05-15T04:33:54Z")
Actually, I think it’s the protein. Admittedly, sweat itself doesn’t have much protein in it, but animals (other than humans, hopefully, but the flies don’t know the difference) also have a tendancy to produce other, um, by-products that are higher in protein. ---
**Author:** ![Quisling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47c2d/32.png) [@Quisling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quisling)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2000, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-stupid-little-bugs-want/19497/7 "2000-05-15T06:37:26Z")
Well let me just say you got it easy bud regardless of what they are doing though Cecil does explain it. Picture this… About 85mph on A Honday 650 Custom on a high way passing a marsh with just sunglasses no helmet and no bike windshield and hitting those guys right in the middle. Little or not little gnats can really hurt!!!