blackflies

[pennyanmurph]

Hey Everyone-

I'm planning on going to Murphy Lake in May to do some fishing, and I wasn't sure just how bad the blackflies would be at that time. I haven't been up there that early in the summer before, so I figured maybe someone would be able to tell me how bad they are. Thanks a lot.

[hikercop45]

hang on to your DEET....late MAy - they will carry you out of there............

[lumberzac]

It will depend on how cold it is and how much rain we get this spring, but I would expect the blackflies to be out and in force by mid to late May.

[Wldrns]

Hey Everyone-

I'm planning on going to Murphy Lake in May to do some fishing, and I wasn't sure just how bad the blackflies would be at that time. I haven't been up there that early in the summer before, so I figured maybe someone would be able to tell me how bad they are. Thanks a lot.

The exact week can be hard to pinpoint in advance, but I figure to be prepared by the 2nd, definitely the 3rd week of May. Some years I've been pleasantly surprised on a nice weekend with no black flies in their prime range on Memorial Day, but that's to be considered extremely rare.

[Gray Ghost]

Last year there were virtually none in the Eastern Region. Personally, from someone who lives in the park, I think the fear of blackflies is way overblown anyway. I don't ever find them to be that bad, but maybe it's because I'm just used to them, and bugs don't seem to like my sour blood too much.

I loathe the damn deer flies.

[pennyanmurph]

Thanks for the advice. So what do you guys use for repellent? I had this stuff last year that was in a little orange bottle and it seemed to work pretty well, but the name had worn off so I don't know what it was called.

[Gray Ghost]

Sounds like Ben's. I use the 100% DEET OFF stuff....Old Woodsman, while hard to find, works excellent. I have also heard of people stuffing a dryer fabric softner sheet in their belt loop, though i haven't tried this method myself...could be a myth.

[Robony]

I stumbled into a bait shop in Ausable Forks one year when nothing seemed to be working on the flies. The owner sold me a bottle of BF-100. I used the same bottle for about four years and I've never seen anything like it. I would swear by it. The only problem is, I've never seen it since.

This may be a no-brainer, but bring headnets. Put the deet on under the net so the flies that will get in may not bite.

The same year mentioned above, on the road from Ausable Forks that runs along the River to the Northway (11 Mi) we drove through a hatch. We had to stop 3x to scrape the windshield with a tape case so we could see.

[Wildernessphoto]

another option that I use is Bug Pants and Bug Jackets
I like using them so I don't have to use deet all the time. I cut the head net off the jacket and use a separate head net.
They work well, I would recommend them.
I'm wearing the pants in this picture:

http://garyfdean.tripod.com/id5.html

[marzrw]

They used to say Blackflies from Mother's Day to Father's Day, but like everyone said, every year is different, sometimes earlier, sometimes later, some years worse than others, some not bad at all....

Ben's works best for me...

The fishing is usually the best when the black flies are out and biting...

Just have a bug net, deet, and perserverence... If it is windy, that helps a lot...

One year my son and I hiked into The Blue Ledges to fish in early June...Windier than heck, not one bite, didn't use any bug dope...The wind died down almost as we were out and they were hammering us for a short time...

Like GG says, it is a bit overblown, and I wouldn't let it stop your trip...

Now horseflies, they hurt like hell. And bug stuff doesn't seem to work...Now Nessmuk puts a piece of double sided tape on her hat and they get stuck in it...Might try that next time.

[Hakuna Matada]

I have a bug shirt and bug pants also but a camping trip we did last May was cool enough that we had on long pants and long sleeves and only needed a head net late afternoon ( as we were trying to eat dinner) and at the portage. There had been a pretty heavy frost the night before we went so I thought that may have kept them down. I would go prepared for black flies anytime in May. It all depends on the rain and the temps.

[Wldrns]

Last year there were virtually none in the Eastern Region. Personally, from someone who lives in the park, I think the fear of blackflies is way overblown anyway. I don't ever find them to be that bad, but maybe it's because I'm just used to them, and bugs don't seem to like my sour blood too much.

I loathe the damn deer flies.

I wouldn't say overblown, judging from some of the raw hamburger faces I've seen as a result of black flies. They just seem to bother some more than others, and a lot of that is the annoyance factor as much as any biting. Psychological warfare is a big factor if you let it be. I've heard there are a many species of blackflies, but only a couple of them bite. It seems earliest emerging ones only want to buzz around unsure of what to do, it's their later arriving cousins that are the biters. I find that if I keep moving they don't bother me much and I rarely ever use any repellent. Meal time is the worst, when you are sitting still fixing your dinner they get you. Bug shirts are good then, but even though they are mostly netting they are too hot for hiking and not good for bushwhacking through brush. A simple headnet and hat is enough if you can remember not to stick your spoon through the net on the way to your mouth.

Ben's in the orange bottle seems to be the most widely available 100% DEET. A few years ago NY State flip-flopped a couple of times on banning the stuff, so I stocked up on several bottles for the long term. When it finally gets intolerable, a single drop behind my ears and on the back of my hands does the trick. I've got enough for several lifetimes.

Count on black flies lasting until the second week of July, when the deer flies then reach their prime. Last July was the worst for deer flies I can ever recall.

[Dick]

We have bug suits for canoeing trips and overnights for camping (canoeing, backpacking) in bug season, but they're way too hot for actual hiking, and you can't see as well. Same for headnets, I've found.

Robony, BF-100 is listed as a class II pesticide (see info, found in many other repellents at lower strength). Perhaps this is why it's not generally available?

DEET works, but I did read a study once saying that 100% is no better than 35% (optimum). However, elsewhere I've read that the higher concentration is more effective only in that it lasts longer. As for safety, DEET is apparently OK as long as you follow directions. More complete and up-to-date info can be found here. Remember also their warning: "keep off synthetics, plastics, furniture and paints. May damage leather."

In light years, we've used pure oil of citronella (NOT to be confused with citronella lamp oil!). It works OK, but only for a short time. You'll smell like a lemon from fifty paces (which is better than smelling like something else from fifty paces). See info here. I'm sure it's also a huge bear magnet in bear country.

Permethrin is another way to go, though I haven't used it. Anyone here use it? It goes on clothing, not on skin (but the clothing goes on the skin, doesn't it?). Click here for info.

Weather, time of year, location, body chemistry, and even time of day all play a role in how severe they will be. Last year they were very light, but some reported "pockets" of heavy activity.

In case anyone's interested, click here and here for info on the actual critters. Or for some here, for some really cool closeup shots.

[Boreal Chickadee]

Cute little buggers, aren't they?

I just try to ignore them for the most part.
Blackflies traditionally hatch at the same time the hobblebush "blooms".

I hate mosquitos.

We've got head nets and net shirts (no pants yet) that I'll use in camp but not while hiking. I find headnets stiffling hot so I'd rather just ignore the blackflies. My son hikes all the time in his net, it just doesn't seem to bother him.

I was once offered money for our nets climbing in the High Peaks.


The worst blackflies I've encountered, which drove me into my net for sure, were on top of mountains. West Mountain and Treadway. The worst mosquitos I've encountered in the ADKS was in the Moose River Plains. They were so bad one time I literally gave up pitching the tent, threw everything back into the car and drove away. We killed over a hundred in the car while driving. My children remind me of them to this day.

What was the stuff (bug dope) that Hawk used last year?

[Gray Ghost]

I mean overblown only from my own experience; certainly if I had seen someone's face look like raw hamburg my opinion would be different. Don't get me wrong--they are certainly a menace, but to me no more than that. I grew up literally IN the Adirondack woods, so maybe my tolerance is just a little higher. If they stuck around longer they would be higher on my most hated insect list, but deer flies, horse flies, and mosquitoes still top them. I've never avoided the woods on their account, but maybe some future trip from hell will change my mind.