Bugs!

[eileithyia]

We had a walk yesterday and it was noticeable that the St. Mark's flies were flying and as well other bugs, I guess it is just that time of year when stuff starts to emerge..it might be there is more stuff around but we did have a mild damp winter. I recall one year being in Scotland May/June and being absolutely inundated by the midges... trying to find repellants was impossible as they had been active particularly early that year again a damp mild winter.....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibio_marci

these are the black dangly legged flies that appear around this time.

[markjohnobrien]

Yesterday’s ride (and the rest of the week to a lesser extent) was notable for the amount of insect strikes upon my person. Thousands of the blighters, everywhere it seemed, from swarms of midgies to bruising ‘bullets’ and biting beasties.
Is this a peculiarity of where I live or a national trend?
Discuss.

Fascinating thread, which I’ve read all of, and thank you for starting but please don’t use the word “Bugs” as it’s an Americanisation and drives me crazy: it’s insects in Britain which you indeed use in the thread.

My children have caught this contagion and delight in using”Bugs” rather than the correct insects.

I’m fully aware that English evolves, is a flexible language ( as just look at the number of Indian words in English such as “Doolally”), and we don’t have an Acadamie Francais to police the purity of the language.

[Mike Sales]

I’m fully aware that English evolves, is a flexible language ( as just look at the number of Indian words in English such as “Doolally”), and we don’t have an Acadamie Francais to police the purity of the language.

I believe that Deolali was a town where the British Army had a sanatorium.

[markjohnobrien]

Exactly: an erudite response.

[Cyril Haearn]

I fear there is even a lobby calling itself 'bug life', - 1
Of course spiders are not insects either

Maybe bojo could achieve fame by inaugurating something like the Academie Francaise

[[XAP]Bob]

Yesterday’s ride (and the rest of the week to a lesser extent) was notable for the amount of insect strikes upon my person. Thousands of the blighters, everywhere it seemed, from swarms of midgies to bruising ‘bullets’ and biting beasties.
Is this a peculiarity of where I live or a national trend?
Discuss.

Fascinating thread, which I’ve read all of, and thank you for starting but please don’t use the word “Bugs” as it’s an Americanisation and drives me crazy: it’s insects in Britain which you indeed use in the thread.

My children have caught this contagion and delight in using”Bugs” rather than the correct insects.

I’m fully aware that English evolves, is a flexible language ( as just look at the number of Indian words in English such as “Doolally”), and we don’t have an Acadamie Francais to police the purity of the language.

So are you a prescriptive linguist rather than a descriptivist?

The Acadamie Francais might decree some things, but the people ignore them frequently.

At what point in history do you think we should freeze the English language?

To call insects bugs in an informal conversation (i.e. not one between entomologists) would seem entirely reasonable, shorter than insects and covers all sorts of other 'bugs' as well (small spiders, anything people might describe as a creepy-crawly).

[set track]

are these insects, bug's, creepy crawlies or whatever attracted by the hi-vis clothing that we wear ?

[LollyKat]

Bees and wasps seem to like yellow in particular - I notice this in my garden.

[Jdsk]

Yes, but it's complex and varies between species.

Luckily it's easy to do the experiment with your own clothes... and you don't have to be wearing them.

Jonathan

PS: And by observation in car parks.