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kevin971
Guest Paddler
  
06/04/2018 06:01AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
I'll be traveling to the BWCA in the last week of June and I was curious how bad the mosquitos and black flies are this year? I'm very prepared for bugs, but I was wondering if anyone had a first hand report.
 
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Krien2731
member (28)member
  
06/04/2018 09:26AM  
We're going in Wednesday, and I'm also interested in what anybody coming out recently experienced for bugs. Yes we are planning on bugs, just wondering if they were any better or worse than usual?
06/04/2018 09:36AM  
I was up there last week.
The black flies were about done, the skeeters were just starting so I do not know how bad they are now.
TickMagnet
member (11)member
  
06/04/2018 01:50PM  
Was on Thomas from Wednesday until last night. The Skeeters weren't bad for us because it was pretty constantly either raining or the wind was blowing something fierce. However, they took advantage of any slight lull in the conditions, especially near sunset and early am. And at the Snowbank canoe landing at dusk last night, after about 45 minutes of sunshine and calm winds, they were as bad as can be, and hungry for blood after a week of wind and rain.

So my amateur opinion, backed up by a total of 5 hours of calm conditions, is that they are now out in full force and you should prepare accordingly.



06/05/2018 02:08PM  
LindenTree3: "I was up there last week.
The black flies were about done, the skeeters were just starting so I do not know how bad they are now."

The black flies were already on the decline? That's good news. What area were you in?
06/05/2018 02:46PM  
Jaywalker: "
LindenTree3: "I was up there last week.
The black flies were about done, the skeeters were just starting so I do not know how bad they are now."

The black flies were already on the decline? That's good news. What area were you in?
"


I was car/tent camping in the Isabella area for 3 days over Memorial Weekend.
The first nite they were real bad, second not not so much and by the third day they were very few. They did manage to bit up my wife pretty good.

I have been in AK for the last 3 years so I cannot remember exactely the cycle of Black Flies. If my memory serves me correct from working on the Superior NF, they were always worst around the end of May and the rest of the summer there were very few of those flies. My camping trip seemed to follow that cycle.

Granted, bugs bother me very little so I may not be a good judge.
3 years in Ak and I don't think I used bug dope once and never used a head net.

inspector13
distinguished member(4169)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
06/05/2018 03:33PM  
LindenTree3: "I have been in AK for the last 3 years so I cannot remember exactely the cycle of Black Flies. If my memory serves me correct from working on the Superior NF, they were always worst around the end of May and the rest of the summer there were very few of those flies. My camping trip seemed to follow that cycle."

I’ve had my property just outside the SNF north of Two Harbors for 15 years now. Although the Black Fly cycle there varies by two to three weeks, they always die back when the Dragon Flies hatch. I saw Dragon Flies last Thursday. Most years the peak nuisance is around Memorial Day. It is earlier if the spring was warm, and later if it was cold. Being that ice out was a little late, I thought the Black Fly peak might be a little late. I think much above average temperatures in May sped things up.

06/10/2018 08:46PM  
Just back from Quetico Saturday. There were no black flies and very few mosquitos... I slapped about 10 the entire week. Until the last day. As we portaged out, we had many more mosquitos, but oddly they did not bother us if we kept walking.
06/11/2018 07:39AM  
Left Quetico on the 9th as well. Bugs were no problem whatsoever. Applied bug dope only once all week, and that was on my new portage-from-hell, and was just to try and keep the deer flies at bay as we worked through swamp and over/around a dozen-plus blow-downs.
 
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