SOBO mid June - safe from black flies?

[gina811]

Hi there,
From the looks of it on the registry, there are a lot of SOBO hikers heading out in the beginning of June and mid June....I want to head out with the pack but I am concerned about the black flies. I know the BF season is in may/june and goes from the southern portion of the state and migrates up north...but since baxter state park is in the middle of ME then leaving mid June should be ok?
I am not an experienced hiker and I know that the first couple of weeks will be tough, not to mention the 100 mile wilderness...so if it would be better to wait I would rather....
any input/insight is greatly appreciated

Thanks much,
Gina

[kayak karl]

i was told i just missed them in august. i think june is their prime time.?

[Mountain Wildman]

As long as you use a head net: and cover your arms, you should be ok, You can also carry deet, they really don't like deet. They tend to swarm mainly around your head and follow along as you go, you can try to run ahead but they catch up.

[wcgornto]

I started June 14 last year and there weren't many black flies because of the continuous rain and overcast. There was an abundance of voracious mosquitoes. Ben's 100 or other brand of nearly 100 percent DEET generally keeps the bugs off of exposed skin. The bugs that bugged me the most last year were the deer flies in Vermont and Massachusetts and the gnats in Connecticut and New York. They were much worse to me than black flies or mosquitoes.

[Wrangler88]

When I started around July 1st last year, there were plenty of people heading out around the same time. And I'm sure plenty after that. I wouldn't worry about missing a pack.

[garlic08]

I finished my NOBO in mid-July. I saw a few black flies starting in late June in the Whites and into early July in So ME. I got a few bites but they didn't bother me too much. I used a head net, long sleeves and trousers, and no DEET. I saw another hiker with a swollen red lumpy face, so I think some people react differently to the bite. Maybe you'll be lucky. It sounded like they were worse in early June, so that year, waiting was better as far as the bugs go. And the mud.

[mudhead]

Weary's rule of Mother's Day to Father's Day for black flies is a good one. They calm down after that, usually.

The last x number of years has been light for black flies. Some years they really can catch your attention. It is all relative.

They are looking forward to meeting you. They like you already.

[modiyooch]

I'm not from Maine, but my general rule is to wait until July 4. It has worked for me. I met my first black fly last May on a w/e trip. I wore my first head net given to me by a local, and became a believer of Bens.

[Snowleopard]

I started June 14 last year and there weren't many black flies because of the continuous rain and overcast. There was an abundance of voracious mosquitoes. Ben's 100 or other brand of nearly 100 percent DEET generally keeps the bugs off of exposed skin. The bugs that bugged me the most last year were the deer flies in Vermont and Massachusetts and the gnats in Connecticut and New York. They were much worse to me than black flies or mosquitoes.

Last summer was unusually wet, so don't count on this year being the same. Bugs here (N. Central Mass) were also fewer than usual last summer. June is prime black fly season; if you're lucky they won't be too bad.
Don't forget ticks; Lyme disease is becoming more common everywhere.

When the bugs are bad:
Use permethrin on clothes, socks, hat; one treatment lasts 3 to 6 weeks. For ticks, it's best to tuck your pants into your socks.
Wear light colored long pants and long sleeved shirt -- light colored so you can see the ticks.
Use DEET on all exposed skin (or better Ultrathon which is time release DEET).
Carry a headnet. I hate headnets and use this http://www.rei.com/product/708136http://www.rei.com/product/708136 I carry a headnet just in case it gets really bad.
Conduct daily tick checks; if you wear shorts or short sleeved shirt this is really your only defense against ticks/lyme disease.
Don't run out of DEET

In the olden days, woodsmen would wear leather gloves during black fly season.

[mudhead]

Black flies like all sweet people. No sense gnawing on locals with fresh blood around. They do seem to like some more than others.

They only crawl up, so tuck things in. They like hairlines. Dab of DEET.

Was talking to one the other day that was wondering when the tourists would arrive. Any day now...

[Cookerhiker]

Last summer I encountered blackflies in the White Mountains in early August? What? The AMC hut croo said that all the rain produced a "second hatching." Never heard of such a thing but there they were.

But they were nowhere near as bad as I've experienced on other years' VT and NH hikes early in the summer.

[Migrating Bird]

Black flies are just starting to come out in force in W. MA now as are the skeeters. Ticks have been active in western MA for the last month.

[10-K]

Black flies are just starting to come out in force in W. MA now as are the skeeters. Ticks have been active in western MA for the last month.

Throw in some mud and it's good times!

[boarstone]

Mosquitoes not out here yet but the black fly is making it's presence known....

[lehua011]

i just missed them in august. i think june is their prime time.?

[warraghiyagey]

i just missed them in august. i think june is their prime time.?

Correct. . . . and . . .