Summer in Russia is a beautiful time. Temperatures are fairly mild, and the sun stays up until 10 or 11pm. Everyone wants to be outside. And, unfortunately, everyone includes some nasty bugs. Being in a high-latitude country, Russia has the same kind of huge mosquito and black fly populations as Canada and the northern US. Mosquitoes here are just as annoying as in the US, and there are a lot of them, but the worst are the black flies (in Russian мошки).

Black fly season started about a week ago. I noticed these little black insects on my walk to the bus stop one morning, and at first I didn't recognize them. They don't fly like mosquitoes, and they kind of swarm and crawl on your exposed skin. And then one bit me, and I understood what I was dealing with. They are pretty much everywhere right now, and they really like buses. Bus windows are covered with slowly moving flies that occasionally take interest in the passengers and bite them. It really adds a whole new dimension to my morning commute. People tell me that the black flies are around for about a month and that a good hot spell will kill them off sooner. Here's to hoping for some hot weather.

Also, here's what might be the most revolting picture of a black fly on the internet.