Just how bad are the bugs in Maine in June?

[Snowleopard]

This might be a stupid question, but isn't permetherin very toxic to fish? Is there a problem with fording rivers wearing clothes that are soaking the stuff?

Yes, it is. But it's pretty inert once it has dried onto your clothes. So fording rivers is OK. Just be very careful when applying it to your clothes or disposing of excess; do this away from streams. It's also bad for cats, but it's fine once it dries.

You're 24; you should be able to walk faster than black flies can fly. A bit of a breeze can blow them off you.

[Heald]

I'm planning to hike from Monson to Gorham this summer, possibly in June. The biting insects are my only deterrent at the moment. Just how bad are they?

Will they be really annoying but tolerable? Will the whole hike be miserable? Or is it more like "All hope abandon, ye who enter here"?

I know that much of this depends on personal tolerance. I plan to sleep in a tent, and I wasn't too bothered by bugs when I did the 100M wilderness last year in July. But I want to enjoy the hike, and to enjoy sitting around outside in the evenings.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

As a Mainer I suspect the bug season to be a bit more aggressive this year due to the mild winter. Four main elements exist. First you have your mosquito. Then you have your "no see um" or "ninji" as we call them, then you have your horsefly, and lastly you have your blackfly. Together these all add up to about a 2% blood loss, and a whole lot of pain in the arse. It's a real show out there in the woods. If you figure out a way to avoid these elements be sure to let me know because the Maine woods are a beautiful place, and no one more than me would like to hike them even partially bug free.

[jeffmeh]

This might be a stupid question, but isn't permetherin very toxic to fish? Is there a problem with fording rivers wearing clothes that are soaking the stuff?

If you treat the clothing, dry it, then wash it and dry it (as recommended), I cannot imagine the residual chemical that has not bonded to the clothing having any real effect on fish when crossing a river.

[Sassafras Lass]

As a Mainer I suspect the bug season to be a bit more aggressive this year due to the mild winter. Four main elements exist. First you have your mosquito. Then you have your "no see um" or "ninji" as we call them, then you have your horsefly, and lastly you have your blackfly. Together these all add up to about a 2% blood loss, and a whole lot of pain in the arse. It's a real show out there in the woods. If you figure out a way to avoid these elements be sure to let me know because the Maine woods are a beautiful place, and no one more than me would like to hike them even partially bug free.

Have to ask . . . . are the same Heald who hiked with Annie in the Barefoot Sisters' book?