New to southern AT, Question about bugs

[bigcranky]

One of my colleagues was on an outward bound trip with students years ago, and was up high on a ropes course when she was stung by a large hornet. She'd never had any issues with stings before that, but had a severe allergic reaction that took two epi-pens to stabilize, and she was SAR'd out and spent some time in the hospital.

My understanding is that one can be stung many times over the years with no reaction, then suddenly have a bad reaction with no warning.

She ended up being fine, luckily.

[Bansko]

This, plus I find wearing a headnet is hot and obscures my vision. I carried a headnet the entire length of the Long Trail in July and never once wore it, even with the annoying gnats dive bombing my eyes and ears.

You don't have to wear the headnet full face like a beekeeper. I wore it more like a food service worker, but covering my ears also. Just keeping those dive bombing b******s out of my ears and hair was a major success. Do what works and makes you comfortable.

[daddytwosticks]

You don't have to wear the headnet full face like a beekeeper. I wore it more like a food service worker, but covering my ears also. Just keeping those dive bombing b******s out of my ears and hair was a major success. Do what works and makes you comfortable.

I've also found that the noseeums would not bother me while actually on the move. Only when I stopped for breaks or to set up camp. Then the head net would go on. When it cools off in the evening or early morning, the noseeums were not a problem.

[JPritch]

Those damn gnats love my eyeballs and it drives me nuts! Then there is a fly that seems to be very territorial...it will continually buzz and hit your head for a certain radius. Would that be a black fly?

[illabelle]

Those damn gnats love my eyeballs and it drives me nuts! Then there is a fly that seems to be very territorial...it will continually buzz and hit your head for a certain radius. Would that be a black fly?

I don't think so. Your description reminds me of horse flies and a few other large usually solitary flies. Black flies are hungry clouds of suicidal bugs about the size of sweat bees, a bit bigger than a fat gnat. Unlike mosquitoes which tend to carefully light on your arm and seek out a good place for a meal, black flies land teeth first. When they land, you gotta kill fast. They don't much care what skin they land on - hairy, calloused, sweaty, whatever - if there's blood in there, they want it. They're pretty good at finding a meal in tender spots, like just under the edge of your sleeve, or next to your eye. Deet is said to be effective.
I found this article. Some of it seems a little overblown, like

There are records of both domestic animals and people being killed in a few hours through bites and blood loss. Death can result from suffocation as a result of plugged nasal or bronchial tubes and allergic reactions.

but what do I know...?
http://sectionhiker.com/black-fly-season/

[Dirty Paws]

Thanks guys, Im the OP-
Aside from DEET- I just ordered some 10% permethrin that I'll dilute myself to working concentration 0f 0.5%. It looks like its way cheaper to do it this way than to buy the pre diluted Sawyer stuff.

I may also try the vitamin B1 patches to mask the CO2 in my breath. Getting a headnet too.

I'm probably going overboard with this but I remember trying to hike in the woods in Connecticut in June with all the deer flies, gnats....etc.

[rafe]

Best defense I've found for the noseeums is a pair of cheap, light plastic safety glasses from the hardware store. Bandana or hat for the rest of my head.

[glenlawson]

I've never had much of a problem with bugs on the AT in the south because so much of the trail is on ridgelines. When you get into lower spots, grassy spots, or sheltered wet areas, you are likely to get more mosquitos and such. Lower areas in the national forests can have a lot more mosquitoes and such, but you asked about the AT.

Mid to late summer you have to be on the lookout for yellow jackets and hornets. Most of the AT is busy enough that the wasps don't build right at the trail, but you have to be careful on side trails. Yellow jackets love the cavities under rocks where they are protected. Sometimes hornet nests will be low enough to be a nuisance.

One pest that that is left off this list is mice. Anywhere people have camped will have mice. They will chew through anything to get to your trail mix or trash. I keep all food and trash out of my tent and pack at night solely because of the mice.

[johnspenn]

Mosquitoes haven't been a problem in the N GA mountains for us so far. There are a few, especially around water, but not swarms of them like you hear about in some areas. We carry a little DEET based spray in hotter months.

Yellow jackets, as have been mentioned, can be a problem- my wife got stung 30 times up in the Cohuttas on a trip last year.

There are gnats and they can be irritating. We carry head-nets from Walmart. I'd rather have the slightly uncomfortable headnet than have gnats flying in my eyes and ears. YMMV.

As always you have to be alert for ticks but thus far I haven't ever noticed a lot of tick activity. I imagine some years are worse than others.

[Francis Sawyer]

I find that the most pleasant bug deterrent is the smoke from a nice cigar. I prefer the St Louis Rey series G maduro .

[Puddlefish]

I started in the same timeframe. Didn't need my DEET for the first two months. I'd just buy some along the trail when you start to need it.

The third month some black flies showed up, but I found them far less aggressive than the NH black flies, Deet during the day, and had to make an effort to squish a few every night inside the tent, which wasn't that difficult since the pretty much flew to the top and waited to be squished.

I only made it to VA, I'd assume the bugs get worse the warmer and norther you get.

[johnnybgood]

Much of the bug/skeeter population is predicated on how wet and warm the Spring has been. If we have a wet warm Spring then expect a bug problem on the southern AT through the mid atlantic states. So far the lack of snow coupled with sparse rain here in Virginia this winter is keeping the water table below normal.
Guess we'll have to wait till the end of April early May to see how bad the bugs will be as the hot weather starts to settles in.

[pablo081002]

I live in SC and hike the GA to VA trail all the time. I spray my clothing with Sawyer's and then don't worry about bugs again. The only issue I have had with bugs on the AT was on tray mountain. Being from Michigan, there ARE no bugs here that bother you. On some other trails the ticks start to come out in late July unless you bushwhack a lot. Did get some poison ivey up after albert mt Somehow two yrs ago.

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[No1UKnow]

If you do go the permethrin route, the main thing is to get the correct type of permethrin and mix it correctly. Some has oil in it. I suggest the Martin's Permethrin 10%, by Control Solutions, Inc. UPC = 72693 45020. But don't take my word for it. Do some research. A 19:1 water to permethrin ratio is what you want, if you are mixing down 10% to .5%.

[OkeefenokeeJoe]

after the trees green, around mid May

Trees here in God's country (Southeast) are green WELL before mid-May.

OkeefenokeeJoe

[Tipi Walter]

hahahahahaha!
Oh wait, that actually sounds painful - but so funny.
hahahahahaha!

I spat the guy out and he limped away and I let him live because we both went thru hell.

Those damn gnats love my eyeballs and it drives me nuts! Then there is a fly that seems to be very territorial...it will continually buzz and hit your head for a certain radius. Would that be a black fly?

Backpacking Tip---Always carry a small tube of eye stye cream for that gnat that gets lodged in the eye or behind the eyeball for 3 days. The cream offers long-term relief until the bug comes out.

Yellow jackets, as have been mentioned, can be a problem- my wife got stung 30 times up in the Cohuttas on a trip last year.

Good video as I always like vids of the mighty Cohutta. And especially the Connie!!

Remember, yellow jacket nests can often be seen beforehand with careful eyeball scanning and going slow on the trail. Once I backpacked down Slickrock Creek and avoided 6 active nests along the creek just by going slow and looking for them. My buddy came thru later and got nailed. Dogs ALWAYS get spooked by yellow jackets and will run like hell.

Panther Creek top is nice---a guy fell off there last year.