Ben, I know these damn follower flies that you're talking about. Being a Kiwi immigrant to Australia it took me some time to figure out why Aussie's supposedly where the cowboy hats with corks dangling off them - just to keep away the follower flies.

Speaking of winged-things I was in a northern town in Germany, Luebeck I think, and the place was swarming with wasps. Eveywhere you went were wasps, the locals were obviously used to it but it freaked me out a little. The wasps were not only ALL over the chairs and tables in a small cafe district by a lake but also inside the restaurant, inside the cake display cabinet...absolutely everywhere - I don't know if this is normal for the area but as I said, the locals seemed to take it all in their stride...