• Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!

    You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!

How are the skeeters?

billski

Active member
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
16,207
Points
38
Location
North Reading, Mass.
Website
ski.iabsi.com
I have spent many weekends in the Berkshires and can tell you that they are all behind schedule. The black flies were just starting to swarm last weekend, I have hardly seen any mosquitoes. An occasional deer fly just appeared last week.

June is usually horrendous for black flies. It was fairly typical, but they seem to be persisting a lot longer this year.

In Conway, NH and W. Maine the word I've received from speaking with folks living there is that the bugs are late in arriving too, largely because of the rain, I guess it's messed up the hatching.

I've also noticed significant regional variations too - some people are reporting next to nothing, some are reports lots of 'toes.

Interesting read: http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife_Journal/WJ_sample_stories/WJ_a00_Blackflies.pdf
 

bigbog

Active member
Joined
Feb 17, 2004
Messages
4,882
Points
38
Location
Bangor and the state's woodlands
...ditto billski's info..

Have had the same experience as billski's info........not bad thru June, but will see this weekend. Outside of the cool temps that always come with rains, the temps and humidity levels are pretty normal....70s to low/mid 80s and prett dry..so you're not perspiring heavily. thus you're not such a target. As always, bug populations are local = not bad the higher & drier you go as well as out on larger ponds & lakes..away from shore, and thicker by smaller waters(bogs, brooks, small ponds) and lower areas. At least we now have sun and blue skies...for a while..
:daffy: ...Have encountered more young(smaller) blackflies in the last week....but they didn't seem experienced enough to know what to do with my arms before I brushed em' off;-)...will see this weekend...agreed, the mosquitoes and deerflies are the most harrassing.
$.01
 
Last edited:

bigbog

Active member
Joined
Feb 17, 2004
Messages
4,882
Points
38
Location
Bangor and the state's woodlands
Saturday up in Chesuncook-Chamberlain L. area...

FWIW Bob, up in Maine's Chesuncook-Chamberlain Lakes area(north of Moosehead) the bugs weren't bad at all...except for deerflies...that seemed more harrassing than normal = possible bumper crop, but at least they don't have the numbers of mosquitoes and blackflies.
 

deadheadskier

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
27,957
Points
113
Location
Southeast NH
got eaten alive along the Burlington, VT waterfront last weekend despite several applications of bug spray.
 

skiadikt

Active member
Joined
Oct 27, 2005
Messages
1,081
Points
38
at our house in northern putnam, we've been eaten alive the last few weekends even mid-day. on our deck we've got all sorts of citronella candles etc and they're still munching away.
 

Grassi21

New member
Joined
Nov 10, 2005
Messages
6,761
Points
0
Location
CT
at our house in northern putnam, we've been eaten alive the last few weekends even mid-day. on our deck we've got all sorts of citronella candles etc and they're still munching away.

we have one of those propane mosquito magnets and the skeeters are still horrible. the mosquito magnet kept the yard comfy last year. this year is down right uncomfortable as the sun is going down. my wife is bitching that the thing doesn't work. i'd love to see her reaction if i turned it off for a couple of days.... :)
 

Skier75

New member
Joined
Feb 16, 2004
Messages
565
Points
0
Location
Barrington, New Hampshire
Yep, crappy summer so far. Haven't been camping or hiking yet because of those little suckers! So far only been kayaking(on our pond and one other place) and on the bike a few times......ppppphhhhhttttt!!!

That's what I say!
 
Joined
Aug 23, 2007
Messages
17,569
Points
0
What do you think the skeeters think of us???? I murdered a few today in my office with a postcard..they are dumb as skeet and gravitate towards light..
 

billski

Active member
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
16,207
Points
38
Location
North Reading, Mass.
Website
ski.iabsi.com
Head for the hills. Anything above 1000' away from streams in western Maine was a-ok.
Near ponds and lakes the mosquitoes ate small animals for snacks and large children for dinner. Near running brooks were black flies waiting for the final kill. three treatments of 100% deet were the only cure. I was wishing for September, as much as I hate to say it.
 
Top