Are bugs and mosquitos a problem on the Colorado Trail during the summer?
Do I have to bring a head bug net to the colorado trail? Any Deet necessary? Thank you for your comments on this topic.
Julio
Please be more specific when you ask about "summer" in Colorado. June into early July is very, very different than say, late August/early September. This goes for your previous questions about rain gear, etc.
When exactly are you thinking? If after mid-late August, bugs are usually (but not always) gone. I've rarely felt any need for a head bug net in CO, though this last July the 'skeeters were about the worst I've seen, and we wish we had them then.
As I remember it : Female mosquitoes follow the trail of carbon dioxide we breathe out. They require blood (protein) in order to reproduce. Anything that masks your breath hinders them in tracking you down. The skin from a lemon does wonders and is a cheap and safe form of citronella. Most bugs/butterflies etc prefer white flowers so expect more activity in this region
I should have added: Flies and bees are active very close to water sources. If you come across dragon flies then you will bump into mosquitoes as the former feed on mosquito larvae.
They might be, or might not.Originally Posted by Besalu
Typically when snow is melting fast, waters plentiful, mozzies can be bad in isolated spots.
However...i didnt need headnet on CT in early to mid july.
I did need one to eat breakfast one morning on JMT in sierra in similar circumstance. Just once. Theres actually a mosquito report thread for sierra where people report where bad.
My headnet weighs 0.35 oz so i dont really worry about it.
I never bring deet in west. I use clothing....and headnet. Because have long sleeves anyway.
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 10-09-2017 at 18:50.
In my limited experience didn’t see any skeeters mid September on the Collegiate loop last year. Started first 100 miles of CT this past July 3 with a few skeeters in evening but never needed spray or head net. I slept in a tarp with a bivi without issue....I’m a skeeter magnet normally in the swamps of Fl....Colorado ain’t got nuthin on the damn skeeters here...no place on earth can compare the glades or 10,000 islands....
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I am planing to hike between August and September. How is moskiquito at that time?
The bugs (both flies and mosquitos) tend to fade away in August most years, by September almost always gone. I'd take a small bottle of some sort of repellant though, I use this stuff in Colorado with good results. I personally haven't tried any of those "natural" products.
https://www.rei.com/product/785878/s...epellent-05-oz
Besalu:
You need to understand that the calendar, elevation and north versus south part of the CT make a huge difference in conditions.
June and July are totally different bugs & weather wise from the last week of August and September.
The north end in Denver is totally different from the south end near Silverton & Durango.
I've been going to Colorado since 1964. I generally go between the last week in August through most of September. Most of trip have been in the south. The bugs are gone. Rain is rare. A light dusting of snow happens occasionally and is gone the next day.
Good luck.
Wayne
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When I thru hiked the CT this July I carried a head net and some deet wipes. The head net I never used and the wipes a few times.
I dumped the head net a decade ago and bugs have never really been a major issue. If you really don't want mosquitos, don't camp next to water because they do come out around dusk. I am in my tent no later than 8 PM and have never really had a bug issue.
They can be awful, it depends on the year. I find that loose-fitting long sleeve clothing and pants works best against mosquitoes. Loose-fitting is key so that the clothing is generally not in contact with your body and they can't bite through it to get to your skin. The long sleeves also serves as UV protection so you don't have to apply sun block to as many places and can carry less of it on your hike. The pants also come in handy in the less maintained portions of the trail where the trail is choked by willows. Some people hate hiking in pants and sleeves though.
It totally depends on your proximity to water. If you find yourself near bodies of water then expect mosquitos. I've never used a head bug net here. I've used different bug repellents but my preference is for Deet. It works for me.
My 2011 thruhike was July 24-August 30. Mosquitoes were bad at times for about the first 10-12 days, then they were gone. The worst stretch was from Jefferson Creek (north of Georgia Pass) until Twin Lakes.
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