Troul 

Ride someones tire... Just make sure you like kickups.

IvyGodivy

Glasses and go as fast as I can.

tagaproject6

Maelochs

Swallow and rinse.

When it is really bad i can leave my gels behind ... plenty of protein in the air.

Doctor Morbius

Bugs? I eat them with some fava beans and a nice chianti.

Cougrrcj

I'm allergic to bee stings, so yes -- getting one in the mouth can kill me! Breathe in through the nose, and only 'poof' exhale through the mouth.

Yes, by all means wear glasses. If not sunglasses, a pair of safety glasses. Until I had Lasik 15 years ago, I wore prescription eyeglasses so I never gave it a thought. Since then, I always don glasses when riding my bike, or working under my car ( I HATE living in the Rustbelt and having rust/dirt drop in my eyes...)

b88

Like some posters said, ride relatively close behind someone else and hope they continue in the same direction.

Slightspeed

Almost swallowed a honey bee, spit it out without getting stung, somehow. A few minutes later I saw it lying on the stem in a pile of spit. Brushed it off and kept going. TMI ? Yeah, but you asked. I've had them inside my helmet vents at least 3 times, never got stung, till one got caught in my helmet strap, and stung me on the side of the head. I now have a Smith Overtake helmet with the honeycomb liner. Its great, keeps the critters out, but still passes a lot of air on hot days.

woodcraft

My GF has a funny story about her running friend-

he's a professional musician- tuba, & traveled to the PNW for a gig.

Went for a bike ride, but had to be back for the performance. Got stung in the throat by a bee, to which he is allergic. I think he had also taken a spill, so there was some blood.

Found a convenience store & gesticulating wildly to the freaked out clerk (since he couldn't talk because his throat was swelled up. Also he's a big gawky type, like Lurch on the Munsters),

managed to get some Benadryl, make it to the performance, and was able to perform.

KraneXL

As insect go bees are some of the most benign, and despite their stinging reputation, are the most beneficial insects known to man. We couldn't survive without them. Besides, they only sting when they feel threatened. If you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone.

I've been through bee swarms before and remained calm (admittedly not always easy) and walk out without a single sting. Its when people start flailing their arms (which bees see as an attack) that they get stung.

Even when stung its just a localized burning. I have been stung in the past and don't even show a mark. People with a hypersensitivity to the sting are the opposite though, but the rare exception. If I had a choice between a bee sting and a fire ant bite, I'd take the bees 5 to 1.

CliffordK

I often ride along the riverfront.

Right at dusk is always the worst time to be near the river.

Troul 

I'd much have 1000 Bees then 10 Wasps. Wasps do not die after they sting, they continue to tag you, & you didn't even need to instigate them in order to start them up!

PieterVH

Sunny weather: shades
Cloudy weather: clear safety glasses

rumrunn6

fietsbob

at the current overheated conditions , and many forest fires, the bugs are few.

50PlusCycling

Swallow quickly, so their flavor doesn't get stuck in my mouth.

b88

These kamikaze dragonflies they seem to know when you are blasting downhill at speed. So they go into a dive straight into your face. I had one nailed me right in the cheek. Then I went out shopping for Oakleys. So now I'm out riding and I want to test out the effectiveness of my brand new EVO Strides. Well so far I've been nailed everywhere. Except on my glasses.

sandeept

Very wise points.

I live in The Netherlands. I use my bike for my commute so in the spring and fall this is around dawn and dusk. The temperatures are in the 10-15 C (50 - 60 F) and parts of my route are on a dike.

I rest my case.

sandeept

To clarify, I am not worried about bees stinging me. I am worried about smaller insects that are in large swarms near water bodies. If you race through them, dozens, if not hundreds, of them make contact with your body. Some hit close to your mouth and some unlucky ones end up inside. Those are the ones I am worried about. They may not be very unhealthy or make me sick, but then they are rather unsavoury.

MrJames67 

Most answers seem to give advice for attempted avoidance, rather than outright prevention. The answer is a bug headnet. And as with bicycle seats, you will find some that work better for you than others. Some feel better on your face and some are more irritating. The Coughlans ones at Walmart are cheap and have wider mesh, but worked most of the time on mosquitoes, deer flies, horse flies, and lake flies. I haven't used those for some time so can't say for sure about all no-seeums and tiny biting gnats. Others more expensive are often finer mesh and some of these darken visibility. The color of the netting doesn't make much difference, but what does make a difference for day in day out use is visibility through the mesh and whether they prevent bites through the mesh when they land on it, ears, nose, etc.

I have at least half a dozen different ones I've tried over the years. My go-to one for everyday use camping, on my property, and on the bike is the one from Insect Shield, factory treated with permethrin to last through 70 washings, as all factory-treated permethrin garments do. Weighs 27 grams, very lightweight as all these nets are. What makes it my go-to bugnet is that the permethrin not only keeps bugs out, but is outright repellent such that they don't even land on it, and they avoid it completely when I'm just sitting outside or walking around. An untreated net won't do this and some bugs will bite you through the net where it touches your skin. On the bike, they may land on it involuntarily as I ride into them, but they quickly depart. I never get bit or stung through it. Yet it's not objectionable to me or my skin and I don't have to keep applying Picaridin to it, my liquid put-on skin repellent of choice.

I just looked and Insect Shield does not offer this any more. But ENO and Sea To Summit do offer factory treated Insect Shield headnets, possibly other companies also. I would definitely want one from a recognized company, rather than from China ebay, as I can be sure it has been factory-treated, rather than just permethrin sprayed on, which lasts only about six washings, and which I could make myself. Hope this helps.