Black Flies!

tuna

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Woo hoo! Past couple days I’ve been at my kids baseball/softball games and the black flies have been out in force. Now if I could stop watching these games and hit the river I’d be a happy man.

I might be calling out of work sick, lol.
 
They showed up here 3 days ago. Before that, nothing then like in one day, they all came out. Now it sucks to be outside without a head net and bug spray. I made the mistake of leaving the shop door open yesterday and now it sucks inside too!
 
For the last 24 years I've lived deep in the sticks surrounded by beaver ponds, streams, and swamps; prime insect breeding areas, so we are no strangers to mosquitoes and flies.
But this year the black flies are ridiculous. Evidently the little bastards like cold, windy springs.
 
For the last 24 years I've lived deep in the sticks surrounded by beaver ponds, streams, and swamps; prime insect breeding areas, so we are no strangers to mosquitoes and flies.
But this year the black flies are ridiculous. Evidently the little bastards like cold, windy springs.
So far they haven't been obnoxious because of the wind. A little breeze keeps them away. We;ve been walking the dog and they havent' been too bad.

The first few hot humid no wind days are brutal. That said, over the years Ive cleared back a lot of the brush and trees...its helped with the bugs.

They can't take the heat though for that long...once things warm up for real they are gone. But then the mosquitos take over. If thinks stay dry like they have been the last week or two
it might not be that bad.

The worst is when its cool and damp and then you get mosquitos and black flies both. Horrible. Although the mosquitos you can DEET up....even though I hate the stuff.
 
When I get bit on the legs from black flies the red spots last for weeks. I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to their spit.

 
So far they haven't been obnoxious because of the wind. A little breeze keeps them away. We;ve been walking the dog and they havent' been too bad.

The first few hot humid no wind days are brutal. That said, over the years Ive cleared back a lot of the brush and trees...its helped with the bugs.

They can't take the heat though for that long...once things warm up for real they are gone. But then the mosquitos take over. If thinks stay dry like they have been the last week or two
it might not be that bad.

The worst is when its cool and damp and then you get mosquitos and black flies both. Horrible. Although the mosquitos you can DEET up....even though I hate the stuff.
Can confirm. Last year’s wet season was brutal. 2020 was dry as a bone and you could walk the woods without any chem deterrents. This year I hope is nice and dry.
 
When I get bit on the legs from black flies the red spots last for weeks. I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to their spit.

Growing up, when black flies would bite my ears, they would swell and turn purple. To quote my mother, I "looked like Mickey Mouse."
 
Anyone call Cher or Stevie Nicks????

"Ooooh, she's a Spongy! Though the lady tries, she can't hide the Spongy inside!"

"Spoonnnngys, Tramps and Thieves!"
Wait - doesn't "spongy" imply they like to, um, sponge?

informal
obtain or accept money or food from other people without doing or intending to do anything in return.
"they found they could earn a perfectly good living by sponging off others"

Could this result in yet another case of creeping lexicon, much as how "moron, imbecile, idiot" were replaced by the "kinder" word "retarded" (which itself now no longer can be used)?
 
So what caliber do y'all use for them?
I bought this off Amazon. I had a big house fly last year that was driving me insane for close to a week. I’m getting too slow to swat them and every time I stood up the thing would disappear. Soon as I sat down, the bastard was buzzing my face again.

When the Bug-A-Salt came in the mail, it was out of the package for 10 minutes and the fly was dead. It blasts them to bits with about a 2 foot range. The kids enjoy blasting horse flies outside with it also. Skeet for beginners?

4D8B7C88-2E8A-4B36-9A02-A5EADAB9E916.jpeg
 
I bought this off Amazon. I had a big house fly last year that was driving me insane for close to a week. I’m getting too slow to swat them and every time I stood up the thing would disappear. Soon as I sat down, the bastard was buzzing my face again.

When the Bug-A-Salt came in the mail, it was out of the package for 10 minutes and the fly was dead. It blasts them to bits with about a 2 foot range. The kids enjoy blasting horse flies outside with it also. Skeet for beginners?

View attachment 617062
1652830011989.jpeg
 
I went on a 4-wheeling trip to Millinocket Maine about 20 years ago during Black Fly Season. I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever forget those black flies. Holy crap.

I did a rafting trip during a release on the Dead. . . . 29 years ago. Probably 29 years ago THIS MONTH! We went through clouds of black flies you could SEE as you approached. Everyone just splashed water up to knock them down. Then you'd be bailing a few min later and you'd have about 50 dead black flies per gallon of water bailed. LOL




I can attest that carpenter bees just shake that shit off. They crumple momentarily and then fly off. Same with the electric bug slappers - stuns them but don't kill them. You need at least a .22 for them. LOL
 
I've got some carpenter bees lunching on my 2 year old wood shed, they are tough to get rid of. bastards. do they sting? They act mean enough.
 
I want to say they CAN sting but do not. They are tough. And the mean-ness is purely your reaction to the sound. (I HATE THAT SOUND!) Paint is a good alternative. As is a carpenter bee trap. I'm ready to pull mine out again because they were bad last year. But the lake is getting stained so maybe this year will be zip.
 
I've got some carpenter bees lunching on my 2 year old wood shed, they are tough to get rid of. bastards. do they sting? They act mean enough.
Actually only the females sting, I can attest she packs a wallop, but only when you disturb her nest, as I discovered while moving wood slats in the barn. The males hang around outside the nest and will get in your face, but are totally harmless. The males are pollinators and should I have a male that 'visits' when I grill outside, 'Buzzy' is a porch pal. They rate a 1 on the aggressive scale compared compared to Yellow Jackets and Bald Face Hornets.
 
When I get bit on the legs from black flies the red spots last for weeks. I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to their spit.

When my daughter lived up here she used to get bit and have huge bumps and red swelling where she was bitten.

I was told they spit something an anti coagulant to keep you bleeding as they chew on your skin. Some people are allergic to it.
 
I think the little sumbiches are gone! I was outdoors most of the day Saturday and again today (too hot on Sunday) and wasn't bothered at all.
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When my daughter lived up here she used to get bit and have huge bumps and red swelling where she was bitten.

I was told they spit something an anti coagulant to keep you bleeding as they chew on your skin. Some people are allergic to it.

Yup, me, too. I swell up like a balloon for about three days, and itch like hell. I got bit on the forehead AND on the cheek this year, and I would have fit right into a black and white horror movie.
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I've got some carpenter bees lunching on my 2 year old wood shed, they are tough to get rid of. bastards. do they sting? They act mean enough.

Check this out: https://www.northeastshooters.com/xen/threads/murder-hornet-in-my-shed.412790/page-3#post-7326997

You not only have to worry about the female making her nest, but any eggs she may have laid before you get her.
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They seem to be gone here too. And the rivers have been so high with all the rain that none of my spots have panned out for fishing.

Gonna float the river tomorrow, hopefully I'll get into some still water that will be productive.
 
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