Black Flies

[trailsean]

Anyone ever due a South Bound Hike and have experience with the Black Flies? Are they really thick? what is the best way to keep them at bay? Any advise would be appreciated, thank you.

Sean

[Shae]

My daughter went SOBO in 2012 starting on June 20th. I hiked with her in the 100 MW and black flies were not really an issue. Here and there but not swarms. In central NH, the rule thumb is that the black flies are a pain between Mother's Day and Father's Day. So the earlier you start, the worse they may be. Having a head net is never a bad idea as you will have more of an issue with mosquitoes in VT and MA.

[Water Rat]

The winter has been warmer than normal. It's a bit too early to tell just when the mosquitoes and black flies will be bad this year. They could hold to their normal pattern (from Mother's Day - Father's Day), or they might just show up a bit early. They can be downright nasty - It just depends on when you plan on hiking.

I could suggest a whip and a chair to hold the black flies off, but that might be exaggerating just a tad. Depending on the time of season I usually just use bug spray. I can't stand hiking in long sleeves and pants, but that is a great way to reduce your exposure. Head nets and sleeping in a tent/tarp/hammock with bug net should help with the rest.

[egilbe]

Im ok with tourists feeding the flies. It keeps the little buggers off me!

[Snowleopard]

Black flies can be present from the end of mud season to August, but usually worst in June and July. They are usually worse in woods in northern New England, but we had one summer here in northern Mass when they were active till Sept. When they are bad they are awful. I've been on Mt. Paugus in NH when the mosquitoes would have been unbearable, except they couldn't fight their way through the black flies. DEET seems to not work as well on black flies as on mosquitoes.

BRING A HEADNET!! They're cheap and weigh almost nothing. The best head nets are made from black tulle (bridal veil material), if you want to make your own. Peter Vacco used to make them; the commercial ones he recommends are Sea to Summit, worn over a broad brimmed hat.
In the olden days, woodsmen would wear leather gloves in blackfly season.

Since you're from Florida, be warned that black flies are not merely normal flies that are black; they are much smaller, hundreds will swarm your head and they BITE. They are usually not active at night. If they are not too awful, walk fast -- they can't fly fast enough to keep up; a breeze helps a lot.

If you don't wear long pants and long shirts in black fly season, you're tougher than me. "I could suggest a whip and a chair to hold the black flies off, but that might be exaggerating just a tad. " Water rat is only exaggerating a little, though it would have to be a very small whip and chair.

The good news is black flies don't carry diseases. But, we have deer ticks that carry Lyme disease, to you have to be careful of ticks (use permethrin spray on clothes and DEET on skin).

[peakbagger]

I remember meeting a southbounder years ago in the Mahoosucs, he was from Louisiana and had definite a southern accent. He was covered with welts from Black Fly bites. He told us in proper southern accent that he grew up in the swamps of Louisiana and had never in his life had gone through so much hell as what he had just gone through. My friends who live near the end of blue blaze trail in the Mahoosucs have had folks come knock on their door and ask to use the phone so they could call a cab to go home.

Long pants, and long shirts, a hat and headnet with tent with bug netting is just about required some years, other years its less bad but everything is relative. The shelters don't get much use as unless a hiker had bug netting they will get chewed up. In the spring if the black flies aren't around in late afternoon the mosquitoes fill in the gap until a couple of hours after dark. I don't find that pemetherin works that well to keep them off, I use 3M ultrathon as it lasts 12 hours and doesn't eat plastics.

[Migrating Bird]

Every year is different. In 2010, I hiked SOBO starting Memorial day weekend from Katahdin, a very dry, early spring - no black flies or skeeters. I only used deet twice. 2009, my daughter and son-in-law hiked SOBO starting on June 1st. She never took her headnet off. Cool, damp weather prolongs the season as hot sunny days shorten it. Time will tell, but we have not had a winter this year, so if the pattern continues, I would bet on a shorter black fly season. In any case, carry a headnet as Snowleopord suggested.

[Puddlefish]

DEET will keep them from biting you, but it won't keep them from swarming around your face and generally being annoying. They tend to go for the tallest dark colored target around. Buy your tall friend a black hat, and enjoy your hike. They've never really bothered me all that much, I just wave my hat at them when I notice a swarm and keep moving.

[nsherry61]

Picaridin is supposed to work better against black flies than DEET. I'm new to the NE and don't use DEET any more, so I don't know how well it works with black flies. Picaridin seems to work reasonably well against them for me.

[soilman]

I agree with others that you should invest in a head net and DEET. I left SOBO on June 16 and the black flies were outrageous. I had to bathe in DEET, wear long sleeves and long pants, and wear a head net often and still got numerous bites. I have done some trail work in ME during the month of July and some years had no problems with black flies, other years they still were a nuisance.

[Traveler]

To echo others, black flies show up when they want to show up. It is hard to predict. I recall the last bad swarm I ran into was on Stratton Mountain, there were none in the 10 miles before that, and none in the 10 miles after it, but on that mountain top they were vicious. Since they are fairly unpredictable when and where they will show up, preparedness is the only real defense.

I will have long sleeve shirt and convertible pants I can cover up with and keep a wide brim "Chelan" hat (EMS) with a bug net so the brim of the hat keeps the net away from my face, neck, and ears. I use DEET pretty much exclusively at 100% concentration. Overall the system works pretty well, but if you have even just 1/4 square inch of exposed skin somewhere, they will let you know when they find it.

[joshuasdad]

I was in the HMW at beginning of SOBO season in June 2014, and the black flies were quite bad, especially about an hour prior to sunset. I definitely would cook and collect water prior to that time. I wore a headnet when needed (mesh can be amazing hot though on an uphill), and dove into my tent if they got really bad and terrain was too difficult to outrun them. The love Mother's (Day) and hate Father's (Day) saying is a way to remember peak season, although, I saw quite a few people eaten up in MA in July. Enjoy...

[shelb]

Just curious - Does anyone have any experience using Avon's Skin So Soft pertaining to blackflies on the A.T.?

In the middle of Lake Michigan, blackflies descend of sailors, and those using Avon's SOS are not bitten; whereas, others will go crazy with the biting!

[Traillium]

I've never had effective protection from Avon Skin So Soft.
Students I've taught used to use it. I liked that, because then the bugs left me (with me wearing no protection) and swarmed the kids with SSS …


Bruce Traillium

[Traveler]

Just curious - Does anyone have any experience using Avon's Skin So Soft pertaining to blackflies on the A.T.?

In the middle of Lake Michigan, blackflies descend of sailors, and those using Avon's SOS are not bitten; whereas, others will go crazy with the biting!

Yes, my wife bought into that myth and had well over 100 welts from bites in just under an hour exposure to Maine woodlands several years ago when she and the kids ran into a swarm. It may be a body chemistry issue, however I suspect theres far more lore involved from people eating burgers in a suburban back yard.

[plodalong]

over 30 years spending spring and summer in Northern Maine...to echo some of the above...Deet/Nets/Long sleeves/lpants and tuck your pant legs into your socks..not a time to be fashionable. Dawn and dusk the worst. A breeze helps. Sunny open areas help.
Swarming around your ears, up your nose and in your eyes can drive you crazy. Elevations help since the breezes can keep them at bay but low and wet areas near clean moving water will (excuse the pun)...suck! Moving helps, sitting makes you a juicy tender target. Unlike skeeters blackflies in your tent will tend to swarm to the corners trying to get out rather than bombard your ears all night. Avon SSS did nothing for me. Deet...a little help. Light or White colors seems to help. ... Black Fly "season" is unpredictable but a good dry hot spell of 3 days seems to knock em down.

[AtWokman]

Black flys are they the same as no-see-ems?

[Slo-go'en]

Black flys are they the same as no-see-ems?

No, Black flies you can see. no-see-ems are tiny.

If you get caught in the peak of the Black Fly hatch there isn't much you can do. Insect repellents are largely ineffective as they overwhelm you with shear numbers. I don't bother with repellent.

They sure motivate you to keep moving because the moment you stop all of a sudden the million or so flies which have been following you catch up to you. If your hiking with another person you need to leave about 100 feet between you or you'll be in their black fly draft.

Once you get to camp building a small, smoky fire helps to dissipate the swarm which has been following you up the trail all day.

Some people are allergic to Black Fly bites and they swell up like crazy. But if your lucky like me, you just get a small welt and after a few bites you build up an immunity and you no longer react to their bite, but they are still very annoying getting into your eyes, ears and nose cavities. Inhaling them is also fun, they get stuck in the back of the throat.

[Snowleopard]

...
In the middle of Lake Michigan, blackflies descend of sailors, and those using Avon's SOS are not bitten; whereas, others will go crazy with the biting!

I'm surprised by black flies in the middle of Lake Michigan. They breed in moving water -- small streams. Could they have been something else?

Once in the Adirondacks on July 4th weekend, I had long pants and long sleeve shirt plus DEET. Unfortunately, my shirt rode up out of my pants leaving an exposed strip between shirt and pants; the black flies gave me an inch wide welt going all the way across my back.

[Traillium]

I'm surprised by black flies in the middle of Lake Michigan. They breed in moving water -- small streams. Could they have been something else?

Thanks, Snowleopard. I was going to respond in the same fashion, but bit my tongue … I didn't want to be too picky — and I haven't sorted out what else they could be. They might be mostly-non-biting small chironomid midges, which certainly can be bothersome clustering around me in open water, even without biting. They certainly do land on humanoids …


Bruce Traillium