I just swallowed a bug

First off, I don't make it a habit and try to avoid swallowing or putting bugs in my mouth at all cost.

I commute to work on a bike, usually 4-5 days a week to get some exercise and I enjoy it. My commute is thru one of the nicest parks in the city and I get to ride thru it for about 5km, seeing deer, rabbits, prairie dogs and other wonderful sights in the summer on in the fields and beach volleyball courts (use your imagination here). Much of the park is wooded and bike friendly with nice divide bike paths etc, but there are often bugs in the early morning and around where some of the wildlife is.

So today, on my way to work, pushing myself trying to keep up to my virtual partner on my bike CPU, huffing and puffing......Ack, Eek, Phu....A small bug (likely a mosquito) lands at the back of my throat. Now I'm used to this from years or MTBing, so I usually try to cough it out and if that doesn't work....GULP, I take a big drink of water and swallow it down. Sounds gross, but I don't have an issue with it.

Then on my way home from work, pushing myself again, huffing and puffing....Ack, Eek, Phu....Another small bug (again, likely a mosquito) lands at the back of my throat....So yet again, I try to cough it out for a couple seconds but end up swallowing it.

I'm not sure if runners and joggers face this issue, but clearly cyclists do and I've been cycling for as long as I can remember.

So my question to you is...What do you do? Stop and cough it out at all costs or Swallow it?

I have swallowed more bugs that I care to admit and see no issue with it but am wondering what others do.

Just swallow it ... as long as it's not the stinging kind (wasp!) it won't kill you.

Much worse than the small bugs in your mouth are the bees that get stuck in your partially unzipped jersey or helmet vents. Those suckers hurt.

Groat said:

Much worse than the small bugs in your mouth are the bees that get stuck in your partially unzipped jersey or helmet vents. Those suckers hurt.

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+1

I took a wasp to the chest, he got caught in my jersey, and POW.

I haven't had any large ones go into my jersey or in my helmet in a while...but from what I remember, it was no fun.

It's reason enough to keep the jersey mostly zipped up

Swallow a spider to catch the fly. Then swallow a bird to catch the spider. Then...

Mmm...protein!..:-D

See, I had about 3 responses typed up here, then realized, that all of them could probably be used as a custom title for me, so I had to delete each one.

I'm just not going to give my opinion here.

I've only ever eaten one bug to my knowlege and it flew straight down my throat, still gives me the shivers thinking about it.

Dalejr said:

I've only ever eaten one bug to my knowlege and it flew straight down my throat, still gives me the shivers thinking about it.

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My grossest bug eating mishap....eating a blueberry sundae from DQ...and one of the blueberries was not a blueberry but rather a large beetle. I didn't realize it until after a few chews and crunches that it was not a big old blueberry and spit that sucker out.

That one warranted spitting out and not just swallowing it.

I used to catch a lot of dew bugs in the teeth back in my biker days in The Hog Riding Fools with my pals Wes The Geek and Club Choad Charley. I'd usually just spit them out.

I keep a glass of water by the bed for when I wake up at nite a bit dry. One nite I swore I swallowed a chunk. A few days later while picking up a different glass in the morning there was a stink bug floating in it...

But I have actually drank slobber from my Bullmastiff, but that is another story...

i usually try to cough it up for a while, realise its not working then think: 'well if the little sucker wants to play games...' I win. the bug loses.

brucered said:

My grossest bug eating mishap....eating a blueberry sundae from DQ...and one of the blueberries was not a blueberry but rather a large beetle. I didn't realize it until after a few chews and crunches that it was not a big old blueberry and spit that sucker out.

That one warranted spitting out and not just swallowing it.

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Was it in there when you got it or did it land in it and you never noticed?

Depends on the bug, but generally I would chew. (voted OTHER)
Nope, not kidding here. I've chewed up worms and spiders (not the big juicy "freshen-up gum" kind through, that's just gross) aplenty to gross out neighbour's kids and my nieces and nephews.

Pound per pound the most protein you can get.

roscotanna said:

i usually try to cough it up for a while, realise its not working then think: 'well if the little sucker wants to play games...' I win. the bug loses.

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I also try to give a few coughs to get it out, but it usually doesn't work, so down the hatch it goes.

Dalejr said:

Was it in there when you got it or did it land in it and you never noticed?

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it must have come mixed in with the blueberries, it was not a fresh bug....at least that's what I'm thinking.

Likely in the blueberry topping either pre arriving at DQ or landed in the sauce mix at the store. I was happily eating my sundae, about 1/2 thru it, then I got a bite of crunchy blueberry, or so I thought...casually spit it out into my hand discretely and then hucked it across the parking lot when I discovered what it was.

either way, that was a nasty experience.

Most are edible, certainly digestible, if it didna kill ya before you could post on an internet forum you will likely live

Samurai-5 said:

Pound per pound the most protein you can get.

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I have eaten fried insects, and indeed, they make excellent food. I don't understand why they are not more popular in Europe (I mean, we also eat shrimps, and raw herring).

garyg said:

Most are edible, certainly digestible, if it didna kill ya before you could post on an internet forum you will likely live

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Time to start riding to work with my mouth wide open