While visiting friends in northern Michigan this summer, my son and I decided to take a hike through a quiet part of a forest near Torch Lake. We got about a mile in and had to turn around and leave because the flies were making us crazy! Felt like hundreds were landing in our hair and buzzing around. I tried to capture it on video but it doesn’t truly do the numbers justice.

The area has had a huge influx on tent caterpillars and according to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation the natural increased fly population helps to control the caterpillars. They are actually named friendly flies because of their propensity to land on people, animals and food.