Pemi Mosquito levels

[Jkrew81]

hey everyone,
I am headed up to the Pemi this weekend and was wondering what the bug levels are like. Close to none around Monadnock last weekend so I have my fingers crossed.

 

[erugs]

Black flies - I heard someone say on Sunday that they were out from Mother's Day to Father's Day. They were bad on Pierce on Saturday and Smarts on Sunday if you stopped. Not bad if you were moving. The mosquittos were annoying at the Goose Pond Road (near Smarts) parking lot Sunday night. Go very prepared to do battle with both.

 

[TDawg]

I can probably guarantee you'll see more than, "close to none."

 

[grouseking]

I think it depends on the weather...hot and humid, they are unavoidable. If its a cool, breezy day, you might luck out. I had next to no bugs walking thru swampy areas last Thursday after the cold front moved thru, but Saturday was a different story...the mosquiters have really taken over around the Lebanon/Hanover area. Definitely go prepared, no matter where you are.

 

[csprague]

I was on Zealand and the Bonds this weekend, and there was an abundance of blackflies. Overall, they were perfectly manageable in the woods (and border-line unnoticeable at Guyot Campsite) but pretty insane on the peaks and ridges. The worst places were at Zeacliff and Bondcliff, but the Guyot summit, West Bond, and Mt. Bond were pretty bad as well.

There was no breeze to speak of on either day, and the temps were comfortable but obviously warm enough for the bugs.

 

[MichaelJ]

We saw Billy or CSprague coming off Bondcliff with a cloud of blackflies around him so dense and lit by the sun that I was reminded of the cloud around Pigpen in the Charlie Brown cartoons.

 

[Billy]

One-day data point for Saturday June 4th:

Up high (Bondcliff and Bond), it was black flies. There were lots of them.

Down low (13 Falls and Franconia Brook Trail), it was mosquitoes. They were out in full force in those areas.

Not surprising, but there it is.

 

[bryan]

today, 6/7, there were nasty mosquitoes on the lincoln woods/wilderness trails, but they disappeared shortly after the wilderness boundary. even moving quickly we were getting bit and stopping they were intolerable. as others have stated there were plenty of flies up high as well, but they weren't really biting today.

bryan

 

[Jkrew81]

Thankyou

thanks guys, on that note I will def wear pants and some arm coverage this weekend! Happy hiking.

 

[TDawg]

Franconia Ridge was brutal today with black flies. Below treeline, not nearly as bad but still present.

 

[MichaelJ]

So, I was thinking about this last weekend — from a biological/ecological perspective, why do the blackflies go nuts up above treeline and on the summits? They're carnivores. Other than the occasional hiker, it would seem to me that they would have a much better chance at blood & flesh down in the damp and the trees, where the mosquitoes know to find plenty of animal prey. What am I missing here?

 

[DougPaul]

So, I was thinking about this last weekend — from a biological/ecological perspective, why do the blackflies go nuts up above treeline and on the summits? They're carnivores. Other than the occasional hiker, it would seem to me that they would have a much better chance at blood & flesh down in the damp and the trees, where the mosquitoes know to find plenty of animal prey. What am I missing here?

I don't know specifically about black flies, but some insects fly uphill to meet for mating. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_flies "Adult males feed on nectar while females also feed on blood". Maybe you're just a snack on the the way to the dating grounds...

Doug

 

[Elizabeth]

Yesterday (Wednesday June 8) the mosquitoes were out in force on my hike to Owl's Head and back. Black flies were not as much of an issue; but more at altitude as others have said. Deer flies are starting to emerge. I recommend a combination of repellents, frequently re-applied, as well as bandanas and other protective clothing; though it is too hot out for long pants and long sleeves, in my opinion. GARLIC is fairly effective, too. Eating a garlic-intensive meal the night before a hike does help.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

So, I was thinking about this last weekend — from a biological/ecological perspective, why do the blackflies go nuts up above treeline and on the summits? They're carnivores. Other than the occasional hiker, it would seem to me that they would have a much better chance at blood & flesh down in the damp and the trees, where the mosquitoes know to find plenty of animal prey. What am I missing here?

I think that black flies generally migrate to higher altitudes and latitudes as temperature rises through the spring/summer season, so by the time that they reach their ideal temperature range above treeline, temperatures are too hot below. Obviously, other environmental factors, such as precipitation, cloudiness, wind, etc., are also at play. Here is a link with some interesting observations.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2167.html

 

[MichaelJ]

Fascinating reading.

Bites may appear where clothing fits snugly against the body, leaving a ring of bites just above or below the belt line.

I'll attest to that. I regularly end up with a horrible ring of bite welts just at the top of the mini-gaiters I wear (to keep dirt/rocks/twigs out of my shoes).

Flies usually bite during the day in outdoor shaded or partially-shaded areas.

Well, apparently NH above treeline is the exception.

 

[MarkL]

Wed and Thurs, 6/8-9

Ditto what TDawg said. That same day when I first hit the ridge via Liberty Spring Tr. 3PM, they weren't bad. But heading north, they were swarming before I got onto bare ridge. Even on Lincoln and Lafayette summits, though facing into the breeze gave relief, they were still swarming my leeward side.
Someone I met that day commented that despite the swarms, they weren't biting that badly. Despite hiking in shorts, short sleeves, no net, no repellant, I just didn't have the number of bite marks I expected from their intensity.
They were still pretty bad as I descended toward the Skookumchuk and further toward Garfield. They let up considerably around 7PM, either due to elevation or time of day. Slept in major col before the Garf. Pond col. Thurs, 6/9, morning they rousted me around 6AM. They were pretty bad til not long after heading, or should I say bailing down the Garf. Trail. This was to have been a 3 day Pemi loop.

Oh yeah, this is a mosquito thread. I saw two or three of them in the 24 hours I was on trail.

So, I was thinking about this last weekend — from a biological/ecological perspective, why do the blackflies go nuts up above treeline and on the summits? They're carnivores. Other than the occasional hiker, it would seem to me that they would have a much better chance at blood & flesh down in the damp and the trees, where the mosquitoes know to find plenty of animal prey. What am I missing here?

Years ago I was surprised to find lots of black flies on a somewhat bare Adirondack summit. This was after "black fly season" had ended down below. But I figured it out. They have six feet, so they're well heeled. Thus, they can afford to summer in the mountains. It just stands to reason.