Those blasted bugs...

[Robo Dave]

Hello all

Planning ahead for da bugs-will be hiking AT Mass first week of May-can anyone advise re: bug activity that early in spring? Deciding whether or not to treat clothes with Permethrin for ticks, and bringing DEET

[steady123]

Treat clothes with permithrin. Include shoes. Bring DEET.

[HankIV]

Treat clothes with permithrin. Include shoes. Bring DEET.

Yep. Lots of DEEP for Great Barrington passage; Jug End Road north to Windsor shelters

[Traveler]

Permethrin on shirts, pants, and bandanas/headscarves to be sure. Bring a broad brimmed hat and head net so you don't inhale tiny livestock to limit misery. For me, DEET 100% works fine, though anything under 100% doesn't do much. I would wear long pants regardless of weather due to to tick issues. I have also taken to wear short gaiters (treated) to keep small bugs and ticks out of socks and shoes. It will be buggy that time of year, especially if the spring is wet.

[RockDoc]

Yes we used permetherin in Maine in June/July and really had no problems, while others were suffering in clouds of mossys and flies. We were able to wear shorts while others were totally buttoned up head to toe.

[Spring.Bear]

Bugs are out today!

[Daybreak]

In addition to Lyme Disease, Babesiosis is common and carried by the same tick.

[HankIV]

Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus was fine for me from Maine…until Great Barrington. Had to go DEET there.

Only had one tick on a whole thru, which I attribute to sending all my clothes, including sleeping gear, to Insect Shield, for the longer lasting treatment.

[Dan Roper]

I've done almost 800 miles on the AT between 2007 and 2022, from Springer to the James River, every mile in the months of May through October. I've never had anything treated nor used any bug spray. There have been a few times I wanted something a bit. And I gather the black fly season in New England is an entirely different matter. (And perhaps mosquito season in New York and other low elevation environs?) But for the South? IMO just no need.

[dmperkins74]

I've done about half the trail in section hikes (trail journal gdbdp.com/at if you want a gander ) and never treated anything. But worry my luck's gonna run out. Out of curiosity, any "best brands" of Permathrin you all use? Or is it really just "use whatever" and it's mostly all the same?

[Time Zone]

I've done about half the trail in section hikes (trail journal gdbdp.com/at if you want a gander ) and never treated anything. But worry my luck's gonna run out. Out of curiosity, any "best brands" of Permathrin you all use? Or is it really just "use whatever" and it's mostly all the same?

Martin's 10%. It has much less of an unpleasant odor. Some of the others you might find in an ag store have quite a petroleum smell, and basically you'd have to leave your hiking clothes in the garage if you used it.
Both are going to leave a smell in your washer/dryer for little awhile, but again, the Martin's is much less unpleasant.

FWIW, for a few years I relied on the "ship off to the pros" treatment, but I now spray my clothes and packs annually with Martin's diluted to 0.5%. Read into that what you will.

[jomo1983]

the place I got hammered the worst by insects was going thru the Housatonic valley near Great Barrington at that time of year. I'd limit the amount of skin exposed thru there in additional to whatever else you do.