View Full Version : When should I expect the mosquitoes/other biting animals??
Stellbell3
02-19-2009, 23:07
I am hiking NOBO starting Mid-April in GA. When should I expect to need my bug repellant??
Also, when should I start worrying about ticks??
Thanks
Stell
bigboots
02-19-2009, 23:40
Define "other biting animals" bears would be included! :-?:D
Jim Adams
02-19-2009, 23:55
probably not going to have any insect problems until the end of june / beginning of july. probably is the key word here. i would carry a very small bottle of repellent from the beginning. you can have a hatch come off any time the weather spikes for a day or two.
geek
The mosquitoes started coming out in VA in mid-May for me, but they were only bothersome if we camped in a low-lying area near a creek. If we stayed up high with a good breeze blowing they weren't bad at all. They were pretty annoying in the Shenandoahs, and then we didn't really have a problem with them again until Connecticutt and Mass where the mosquitoes were terrible. My recommendation would be to pick up a teeny-tiny bottle in Daleville/Troutville and make sure you're stocked up before heading into New England.
Blue Jay
02-20-2009, 19:52
The mosquitoes started coming out in VA in mid-May for me, but they were only bothersome if we camped in a low-lying area near a creek. If we stayed up high with a good breeze blowing they weren't bad at all. They were pretty annoying in the Shenandoahs, and then we didn't really have a problem with them again until Connecticutt and Mass where the mosquitoes were terrible. My recommendation would be to pick up a teeny-tiny bottle in Daleville/Troutville and make sure you're stocked up before heading into New England.
This has also been my experience with ticks. Pick them off before you go to bed and check again before you start walking in case you missed one. They are pieces of material that do not brush off, you have to "look" with your fingers If you can, have someone look at any places your fingers cannot reach. I've never heard of anyone who does this ritually get lymes or rocky Mt. When you see a good sitting rock, take a break and pick off a few.
daddytwosticks
02-21-2009, 14:14
Be aware that down here in the south, bothersome gnats or no-see-ums can "bug" the heck out of you on warm late winter/earlt spring days. They will go away later in the day as it cools. :)
Pedaling Fool
02-21-2009, 17:30
There's always an exception. I've always said bugs love me, they seem to get to me before anyone else, now I have proof.
In March 2006 I was tenting at Gooch Mountain shelter area; the temps were very low -- freezing rain and snow the next day. I woke up with a large lump about mid way up from the small of my back. This lump was hard as a rock and about as big as two big marbles and directly over my spine. It concerned me at first because I thought a disc might have slipped out, but there was no pain. The lump eventually went away without coming to a puss-head. I can only assume some type of insect bit me.
Never had much of a problem with mosquitos until New Jersey. They really became a pain after Kent, CT. Thank goodness I could take refuge in my tent. I don't know how the shelter dwellers put up with the bugs.
The little, tiny bugs that go for your eyes, nose and ears are another matter. At least those don't bite...just an annoyance.