Post your 2024 bug and bear reports from a recent trip on this thread.

Also please take and extra minute to post bear and moose reports in the maps area.

Just got back from a 4 day solo doing the Louse River and Lady chain. Blackflies were starting to hatch day 1, swarming day 2, and biting by day 3. Still no mosquitos though. And I must of pulled about 20 ticks off me.

I’m camping at sawbill and enjoying my new bug shirt.

I saw a few mosquitoes last night and hear a few tonight, but it’s really the flies.

Got back from Wood Lake last night. Almost zero mosquitoes, but blackflies out in force. Had to have the head net on most of the time, but they disappeared around 8:30-9pm once temps dropped.

Forgot to mention, ticks were out in force. Found about a dozen on our pants/shirts/packs over a span of 2 days, and that's without going through brush or anything, just hanging out at camp.

We were in last week through Kawishisi up to Malberg and the flies were swarming like mad. My husband had 2 ticks, and mosquitos were just starting to hatch and bite. Be prepared for bugs for sure.

Went in Thursday on Lake One. Came out Sunday. Thursday and Friday was mostly black flies. On Saturday the mosquitoes joined the party and stuck around.

Spent the long weekend on Sawbill and Alton with the kiddos. Black flies were out sunup to sundown. Wore head nets most of the day unless we were out in the breeze on the water. Didn't see a single mosquito or tick though which made the evenings around the fire very enjoyable.

Went in last Thursday (5/23) and came out Monday (5/27) from Red Rock Lake. Black Flies were out here and there but the cooler weather kept them at bay. I imagine had it been warmer they would've been more pesky. Mosquitos were out at night but really only in the thick of the woods, not really by camp much.

Camped on Tuscarora Saturday and Sunday. Black flies were a menace. We only saw a couple mosquitos, even back in the woods. My dog picked up a half dozen ticks, but she was also crashing through the brush in ways a human wouldn't (normally). No ticks for either of us because we had permetherine-treated clothing.

Been on two trips -- lake one to Insula May 10-14th and lake one to Insula May 28th--June 1st.
Black flies seemed not to change much in biting. Still swarming your head like nuts when the sun is out. In windless areas- they are very annoying , but not - for the most part- biting.
Skitters big change. Not nearly one in early/mid May, but way more on last trip -- still out (thick) mid day in Sun in the forest gathering firewood. But-- not that aggressive even in low light. But that's me as skitters are a blessing compared to black flies.
Stable Flies are still "dumb" as you can kill them easily. Tent was loaded with them dead in the morning in the upper mesh from mid 30's temps. That is about to change with more rain and warmer temps. Be prepared for a bug wave soon that is more potent than in the last week or so.

Both ( all 3) will get worse in the next two weeks. Bugs are bugs and really don't bother me that much until they get insanely bad-- I expect them to be that real soon. Just my .02

No bears or a sign of them. 60+ trips and seen 1 bear in 25 years. He/she climbed up / down a tree in S Peterson Bay Iron Lake (near the portage to the PMA) in 2011. The bear thing is over rated early in the year especially the deeper you go away from popular campsites.

Went in via Homer for 4 days last Thursday. Bugs weren't bad at all until Friday night. Then the mosquitoes came out in force, and were very aggressive. There were some black flies the whole time, but they weren't biting very much. It took me 10 minutes to kill all the skeeters that invaded my car with me when I pulled out Sunday morning.

Had a bear next to camp Friday night at site 965 on Pipe Lake. Yelled at it and beat trees with a big stick until it ran off.

Just Spent 3 nights 5/31-6/3 on Larch Lake and exploring the granite river. The flies were out but weren't biting too bad. The Mosquitos were out in full force, especially at dawn and dusk. During the day they were not so bad but we had a consistent breeze the whole weekend.

WhiteWolf: "Been on two trips -- lake one to Insula May 10-14th and lake one to Insula May 28th--June 1st.
Black flies seemed not to change much in biting. Still swarming your head like nuts when the sun is out. In windless areas- they are very annoying , but not - for the most part- biting.
Skitters big change. Not nearly one in early/mid May, but way more on last trip -- still out (thick) mid day in Sun in the forest gathering firewood. But-- not that aggressive even in low light. But that's me as skitters are a blessing compared to black flies.
Stable Flies are still "dumb" as you can kill them easily. Tent was loaded with them dead in the morning in the upper mesh from mid 30's temps. That is about to change with more rain and warmer temps. Be prepared for a bug wave soon that is more potent than in the last week or so.

Both ( all 3) will get worse in the next two weeks. Bugs are bugs and really don't bother me that much until they get insanely bad-- I expect them to be that real soon. Just my .02

No bears or a sign of them. 60+ trips and seen 1 bear in 25 years. He/she climbed up / down a tree in S Peterson Bay Iron Lake (near the portage to the PMA) in 2011. The bear thing is over rated early in the year especially the deeper you go away from popular campsites. "

I've been on 38 trips. Bears are overrated? Historic wildfires last year in Canada + historic crowds in the BWCA. Stay vigilant...

Entered Clearwater EP on 6/1 for a couple days. There were no black flies, and mosquitoes could be kept at bay with some repellent. Pleasant surprise compared to the last 2 years around the same time.

Could someone more knowledgeable tell me if the black flies were over, or had they not begun? Trying to increase my understanding for future planning. I assume they are over, but above reports from nearby have me questioning myself.

Just came out of the Nina Moose-Agnes-LLC area today. The only way I can describe the bugs: uff da.

Entered Clearwater (EP 62) on 6/2 and spent 3 nights on Mountain. No black flies. Mosquitoes as noted above - kept at bay with bug spray and thermacell for those trips to latrine. No bear activity.

Came out from Baker/Temperance/Brule area on Monday. Almost no black flies, but mosquitoes were thick, around at all times of day. Only place without them was dry sunny areas like beachy landings. Head net was mandatory for portage landings, and spent much time in the bug tarp just to stay sane. Definitely one of the buggiest trips ever for me.

June 6-8 my daughter and I did some hikes along the North Shore between Gooseberry and Grand Portage and The mosquitoes were bad at some locations. Then we hiked to the 270 overlook on the Arrowhead trail and the mosquitoes were thick. We spent the night of the 7th in a bunkhouse at Rockwood and helped with the Gunflint cleanup. The mosquitoes were very thick.

June 10-13 we went back up with my wife, kids, and dogs staying in a camper cabin at East Bearskin campground and the mosquitoes were really bad. When we walked the dogs in the campground we overheard some people startled when they thought our big Newfie was a bear until they realized it was on a leash attached to a human. LOL.

No black flies or bears. My daughter and I did see a wolf while driving from the Arrowhead Trail to Gunflint Trail and the whole family watched and cow and calf moose feeding in a pond for an hour.

June 14- Entry Point 16 (Moose River North) was thick with mosquitoes and gnats. They were bad throughout the day. We had bug jackets and hung out in the tent.

Mosquitoes were pretty bad for most of the trips although it rained 4 out of 5 days. Some gnats. Very few black flies. Only had 1 tick on me the entire trip.

No bears or sign of bears.

Just came out today from McAree. Mosquitoes were the worst I’ve encountered in the last 25 years. Did see a beautiful young bear swimming across a channel; unique cinnamon color. After it reached shore, two steps into the woods and it vanished. Amazing how quickly they disappear.

Just got back from numbered Lakes and then camping on N.Shore. No black flies and Mosquitoes were aplenty but expected with a wet spring. Family of 5, only a few used the occasional head nets, kept a Smokey fire and tried to stay in the wind and enjoy a June BW trip, my youngest daughter’s (11) first trip. Great week in the BW even considering the rain and skeeters.

Just spent a week in the Tofte district area and had very minimal bugs. There were a couple windows where they got bad, like when we got back to camp after fishing. But as soon as we fired up the thermacells, citronella candles and got a fire going, they were gone. Also used permethrin and some ankle/wrist citronella bands, so I'm not really sure who the real hero is but all I care about are the results.

I think the bug reports this year are over exaggerated as I've spent 2 weeks in the bwca in the last month and the bugs weren't bad at all on either trip.

We entered at Moose on Tuesday, June 18th (a few hours before the storms). We circled through Ensign, to Ima, then Disappointment, and out at Snowbank on Saturday, June 22nd.
We never saw any flies at all, and the skeeters were only bad at the usual times of day. I didn't think they were very bad at all, although I had treated my clothes with permethrin and I had long pants & sleeves on the whole time. I've seen much worse at the Wolf River (WI) in recent years.

Spent four days/three nights (7/3-7/6) on Horseshoe Lake at the far southeast campsite. Read all of the reports about the mosquito population being in full force and even purchased a headnet to wear for the first time in 20 years. Spent the night before entry at the Iron Lake Campground and two nights after the BWCA trip camping at Golden Eagle Lodge on Flour Lake.

Bugs were minimal at best. Didn't even put the headnet down on the portages on the two travel days. There were some mosquitoes in the mornings near the tent but as soon as we moved onto the small point where the fire grate was located, bugs were almost non-existent. Not noticable the rest of the day in the campsite either. Used Ben's bug spray only two times on the entire trip. Even at the privy the bugs were not bad. We did purchase and set up a Mombasa bug net over the privy (brilliant idea my wife saw on a BWCA site) but they still weren't bad around the net. And no bugs at Iron Lake or Golden Eagle - sat outside for hours.

No bears either.

Bump

Spent 5 days on the Trail. Skeeters weee bothersome in morning and evening, horseflies. There was a ice breeze throughout day so that helped keep them to a minimum.
We had a huge thunder and lightning storm one late night, and some rain on Monday afternoon, otherwise temps were upper 70 and low80.

Just got back from 3 nights on Alpine and Seagull and mosqitoes were there but no worse than any other July or August trip I've been on. In fact were better than a few trips I remember from those months.

No sign of bears on either of those lakes.

Solo: EP37 to Malberg July 19-23
-Mosquitos heavy on portage and normal morning and evening rush. Manageable around camp
-Black flies minimal
-Deer flies present but manageable
7/20 @ 1100 bear swam north and landed NW of Site 1051 on Malberg

How are the bugs in the Cross Bay Area?

Just did Kawishiwi to Sawbill through the Lady Lakes (July 23rd-July 27th). We had some mosquitos on the portages and some flies on the Phoebe River, but in camp we were pretty much bug free!

bottomtothetap: "Just got back from 3 nights on Alpine and Seagull and mosqitoes were there but no worse than any other July or August trip I've been on. In fact were better than a few trips I remember from those months.

Heading up to American Point later this month and along the Border. Any Bears fleeing wildfires this year? Sounds like the Bugs aren't too bad.

No sign of bears on either of those lakes."

Mosquitos sent everybody to bed early on Tuesday, Aug 6 on Ram Lake off the Gunflint Trail. Rain and wind kept the bugs in check the other nights.

No sign of bears the whole trip. The outfitter said bears have not been as problematic this summer, possibly due to an abundance of natural foods in the woods.

Cross Bay area- few skeeters on portages. In camp on Long Island Lake- nonexistent for a free days - very windy and rainy! When the wind stopped yesterday there was an increase around 8 pm, but manageable, although it seemed like a few more back by the latrine. On our exit today there were some on a few portages, as well as a few deer fly, but we did not need head nets or spray.

No bear encounters.

4keys: "Cross Bay area- few skeeters on portages. In camp on Long Island Lake- nonexistent for a free days - very windy and rainy! When the wind stopped yesterday there was an increase around 8 pm, but manageable, although it seemed like a few more back by the latrine. On our exit today there were some on a few portages, as well as a few deer fly, but we did not need head nets or spray.


No bear encounters.
"

We came from the same area and can attest to the same observations.

Got back from 4 nights on Slim. Bugs were non-existant, unless you went back on the hiking trails. Had about a 1/3 of a can of Deet type spray, and came home with about the same amount. Only complaint about bugs were the ants, they were everywhere.

ducks: "June 6-8 my daughter and I did some hikes along the North Shore between Gooseberry and Grand Portage and The mosquitoes were bad at some locations. Then we hiked to the 270 overlook on the Arrowhead trail and the mosquitoes were thick. We spent the night of the 7th in a bunkhouse at Rockwood and helped with the Gunflint cleanup. The mosquitoes were very thick.


June 10-13 we went back up with my wife, kids, and dogs staying in a camper cabin at East Bearskin campground and the mosquitoes were really bad. When we walked the dogs in the campground we overheard some people startled when they thought our big Newfie was a bear until they realized it was on a leash attached to a human. LOL.


No black flies or bears. My daughter and I did see a wolf while driving from the Arrowhead Trail to Gunflint Trail and the whole family watched and cow and calf moose feeding in a pond for an hour. "

Just spent a few days on the South Kawishiwi River with my 5 year old son for his first bwca trip and the bug situation is a lot better than it was in June. A few mosquitoes and flies around, but not bad at all. Only used bug spray for the portage and Bruin didn’t need the bug net for his head. He ended up with only 3 mosquito bites even though he slept in the camp chair for 2 hours after dinner the first night.

We didn’t use the thermacell and I’m glad I didn’t pack a bug shelter.

We were at Rockwood at the end of July for our annual family stay in a cabin and we didn’t need bug spray even when we were out and about at dawn and dusk. They said the bugs had still been bad the week before we got there and then it was like someone turned them off with a switch.

The only bears we saw were at the Bear Center in Ely. Bruin loved visiting that place and we even had a nice chat with Dr. Rogers.

What bugs?

8-16 Kawishawi Lake EP

I react bad to bug bites, and usually even at good times all the mosquito bites drive me insane. Noticed only 1 bite after trip. No bug juice, amd yes, slapped the occasional skeeter at evening, and the odd fly in the day hours… but it is worse at my home in the twin cities.

Have mosquitoes calmed down up there? I'm heading in on the 28th and with this warm weather they haven't slowed much in the woods around Grand Rapids. I just walked for about 20 minutes and my legs were thoroughly attacked by those super tiny fast ones. I wish we would get a frost already to knock them back, but I don't see that in the forecast.

ItascaBirder: "Have mosquitoes calmed down up there? I'm heading in on the 28th and with this warm weather they haven't slowed much in the woods around Grand Rapids. I just walked for about 20 minutes and my legs were thoroughly attacked by those super tiny fast ones. I wish we would get a frost already to knock them back, but I don't see that in the forecast."

The mini-drought around Duluth has obliterated them, OTOH. There is a possibility of frost later this weekend in inland areas:

“ DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday

Patchy frost is possible in northeast Minnesota for areas inland
from Lake Superior Sunday night into early Monday morning.”


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