Just wondering how the bug situation is in the BWCA this year for you? I know at least in the Brainerd area and much of the state mosquitoes and deer flies have been the lowest in decades, almost non-existent. Even tick numbers are fairly low.

On TV, they have contributed low mosquitoes numbers to the last few years of drought and bugs have not caught up. I remember the drought in 1976. The next year also had almost zero mosquitoes.

Your observation in the BWCA and where you live?

At our property in west central Minnesota there seems fewer bugs than normal. Normally by this time of year the deer flies are bad enough where you do not want to go outside at all. This year they come out a little earlier than normal, but overall in fewer numbers than past years. Mosquitos, while still pretty bad around dusk, also seem to have reduced population.

What has been an issue this spring is tent caterpillars. Haven't had a problem with them for at least a decade but they are thick this year, with many of our trees totally stripped of leaves.

Cricket67: "At our property in west central Minnesota there seems fewer bugs than normal. Normally by this time of year the deer flies are bad enough where you do not want to go outside at all. This year they come out a little earlier than normal, but overall in fewer numbers than past years. Mosquitos, while still pretty bad around dusk, also seem to have reduced population.


What has been an issue this spring is tent caterpillars. Haven't had a problem with them for at least a decade but they are thick this year, with many of our trees totally stripped of leaves. "

Thanks nice info.

Yes. I live in northern Minnesota. The no see ums were bad in early June, but mosquitoes have been very tame.

I just returned from a 2 week solo. For the first time, while I did see a few Deer Flies, I didn’t get bit. The mosquitoes were about average with a few portages that were swarming with them.

This is certainly not the case in NW Ontario. Last week we endured the worst mosquitoes we have experienced in 20 years of trips, second only to 2009 (a very rainy summer). Even the locals mentioned how bad the mosquito season has been this year. I am really glad I had my new bug tarp along this year.

Few mosquitoes in northern Wisco this year as well. It has been awfully dry for the most part.

I know it's not applicable to the BWCA, but there have been surprisingly few skeeters here in IA this year, considering all the rain we've had. Virtually no black flies either. Certainly not complaining, but it is a bit puzzling.

NEIowapaddler: "I know it's not applicable to the BWCA, but there have been surprisingly few skeeters here in IA this year, considering all the rain we've had. Virtually no black flies either. Certainly not complaining, but it is a bit puzzling."

This is usually peak deer fly and mosquito season in southern Ontario cottage country. Surprisingly few of both species here too...two weeks in a row.

Here in SW Michigan the biting flies have been impacting my paddling for the past 2 weeks or so, mostly because the dog freaks out. They're only a problem when we get on the river. When we get to the put-in the dog pulls me in the opposite direction of the water so I have to carry her to the boat and reassure her and then she gives me that worried look and burrows under my legs and seat. It will take about a week of zero flies before she is relaxed in the boat again and I can fully relax too. The flies are worst along the edge of the river so I get to choose between flies and shade or burning up in the sun which has been almost unbearable by 9 am.

But the mosquitoes have not been bad even though we had a very rainy Spring.

I was in the Seagull/Alpine area June 14-21. The mosquitoes were pretty bad in certain places. Some areas had very few, but I found them to be anecdotally worse than average on the whole.

Head net, permethrin and long/loose clothing and I was in good shape.

Sorry to report we got swarmed on Sag this last week. The biting flies were ferocious even out on the water in the middle of big sag. We had permethrin treated clothing including socks on and they didn’t care. Several bites right through the socks!

The mosquitoes were not as bad, but fishing from our dock on the seagull river at night at dusk, there was a specific point every night at which a switch was flipped and they attacked us by the hundreds. Again, we were head to toe in permethrin treated clothes. I’m starting to think we got a bad batch of permethrin. I have always used Sawyer brand that I find at our local Menards. This year they had no Sawyer but they had some made by OFF. I had a rebate credit from our fencing project this spring that I wanted to spend, so I took a chance on it. Back to Sawyer next year for sure .

...just returned from the Woodland Caribou/nw Ontario...bugs were tough: a good crop of mosquitos, black flies, with deer flies, and add a great population of ticks...We realize that this is the first time since 2019 that bugs were intense as 2021 was dry/after the fire, 2022 dry/warm, 2023/dry and warm, 2024 few bugs/but it was late September and 2025 June/few bugs and late August few bugs as it was dry...hopefully the ticks disappear in the summer warmth...

Just did 6/29 to 7/3. Bower Trout, Brule, winchell, Gaskin, out Ram. Bugs were not bad....but is was hot and windy....very windy for the 3 middle days. Last day out was the worst with hardly any wind and muggy but we were on the move. I wore my head net on first day for one portage and sprayed my hat once with bug dope. Surprisingly not bad. Took my SIL on his first trip and he reacts bad to bug bites and he said it was far better than he expected.

I did a three day trip in the BWCA last week.
Mosquitos were not a problem at all until twilight and then they came out so bad I was in my tent to escape them. A noticeable loud buzz outside the tent and a thousand mosquitos swarming it.

Deer flies were very bad when the wind was calm and in the hot sun. So many it looked like a swarm of bees and I’m not embellishing. They weren’t always that bad but a few spots during the hot afternoon was crazy.

No ticks at all.

Tom

I've camped in and around the SNF a few times this season and so far I have also noticed the lack of biting bugs, especially during the mosquito witching hour.

NEIowapaddler: "I know it's not applicable to the BWCA, but there have been surprisingly few skeeters here in IA this year, considering all the rain we've had. Virtually no black flies either. Certainly not complaining, but it is a bit puzzling."

My experience in eastern Iowa has been the same, and I would include less trouble with ticks as well so far.

shouldertripper: "

NEIowapaddler: "I know it's not applicable to the BWCA, but there have been surprisingly few skeeters here in IA this year, considering all the rain we've had. Virtually no black flies either. Certainly not complaining, but it is a bit puzzling."

My experience in eastern Iowa has been the same, and I would include less trouble with ticks as well so far. "

Our experience so far in the Fox Valley here in Wisconsin has been the same - not many bugs to deal with.
The true test will come this weekend when we are cutting trails and working on deer stands on our swampy hunting land. We're planning on a lot of Deet.
Blessings

Was just up along the North Shore near Two Harbors and saw one mosquito the entire weekend. Will be doing a trip out of Ely at the end of the month and will be curious to see how they are then. Last year wasn't too bad, but 2023 and 2024 were among the worst I've ever experienced for mosquitos.

Same here, but I have been wearing around the new thermacell hat.

.... Should have saved that one for April Fools.

I went in with my son via Fall Lake to Basswood in the second week of June. The mosquitoes were BAD. We also had to deal with all of the different flies. Even in the sun, all were present and attacking. The hike to the latrine and any portages were on another level. Once we got on the water, problems diminished considerably.

Over the 4th on Kawishiwi River...biting flies around all day long, mostly going for your ankles...they'd follow you out on your canoe as well.

Then mosquitoes at dusk...LOTS of them. The first night they never went away. The next two nights, they would disappear about 45mins/1hr after they first emerged. Outiftter said when the temp drops a bit they can't fly anymore, so that's why they disappear as it cools off at night. That first night it never cooled off so they never went away.

This is the year of the ankle biter flies. We were on knife lake last week. We were lucky because we brought fly swatters and a ‘bug-hut’.

Mosquitoes and deer flies were normal. Black fly season was basically done.

Hello, I'm two weeks late, but my husband and I spent four weeks in two areas of MN (Prairie Lake near Grand Rapids & Lake Minnewawa near McGregor) for the entire month of June. We did not experience really ANY mosquitoes during that time, including in the morning, at dusk, etc. I felt maybe 3 mosquitoes total during the whole trip. I commented to my family that it was odd how few mosquitoes there were! We did have a few dearflies, but even then, only one at a time on a few days.