Diasemocera petrolei, aka the petroleum fly, is a fascinating insect that not only survives in petroleum, a highly toxic substance to other animals, but actually thrives in it.

For tens of thousands of years, the La Brea Tar Pits near Los Angeles, California, have been a death trap to millions of animals, some extinct, some still around today. Insects, birds, mammals, and even dinosaurs, all found their end in these gooey pits at some point in time, but one tiny insect species managed to adapt to this incredibly toxic environment and actually use it to its advantage. The petroleum fly, a flying insect about the size of a fruit fly, is the only known insect species that can not only survive in the natural asphalt of the La Brea Tar Pits but actually calls it home. Its larvae develop in the viscous petroleum while the mature flies spend most of their lives strolling on the surface of the tar pits in search of food.

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The Russian village of Lazorevy, in Russia’s Urals region, has been invaded by giant swarms of flies after a local farmer allegedly used chicken droppings as natural fertilizer in his fields, which acted as a perfect breeding ground for the insects.

Imagine Albert Hitchcock’s “The Birds”, only on a much larger scale and with flies instead of violent birds. The roads of Lazorevy have become living carpets of flies that rise into horrific swarms every time they are disturbed, locals sweep buckets of dead flies from their homes every day, and some people are even afraid to go outdoors because the tiny insects are virtually everywhere. The recent fly invasion has been described by most as a living nightmare, and despite the best efforts of residents and local authorities to wipe out the unwanted guests, the flies are breeding so fast that humans can’t keep up.

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When 80-year-old Ruan Tang had retired, around 14 years ago, she wanted to spend her time doing something useful for her community. And when she realized how much the flies were bothering people during the summer, she decided to do something about it. Tang is now a woman on a mission – to swat as many pesky flies as possible.

“I decided that killing flies was the best way for me to be useful – and I’ve been doing it now every day since,” she said. Tang, who belongs to the Changmingsixiang Community in eastern China’s Hangzhou City, has made it her full-time hobby – for the past 14 years she has spent eight hours a day, seven days a week, killing flies.

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Well I can probably think of a few stranger things to put on my fingers but a fly shaped ring is definitely up there with the strangest and ickiest! They’re probably great prank material but still, you wouldn’t catch me dead wearing one of these things!