Black fly reports for your area?

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I haven't been to the mountains lately but I hear that the black flies are out in force in the Forked Lake vicinity of the Adirondacks. Spoke with the campground there this week. Would like to head there soon and hope that they wane a bit by the time I get there...but I have my doubts :eek:

Keep the reports coming though folks. Any words of encouragement are always good :D
 
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So has the black fly season shifted this year? I have plans for the July 4th weekend which has been a good time to hike in the low elelvation trails previous years.
 
Hiked Hale from Zealand Rd. 7 June. Surprisingly few bugs all day! Nothing on the trail or summit and just a few black flies in the parking lot around noon when we returned to the car. This is the first time I have been out in June and not drained dry by black fly bites!
 
I was up in the Green Mountains of Southern Vermont and on Sunday the black flies were absolutely terrible, especially from about 2500ft on up. Not much of a wind on the day, so I imagine that had something to do with it. Saturday was fine, but I was only out for a few hours and there was a good breeze about, and I was moving fast most of the time I was out.
 
Mixed results on Saturday, June 7. Perhaps a late start (10:30) and relatively high elevation (2100' at Kanc's hairpin) helped, but I noticed zero bugs until Sawyer Pond at 3:00. Then I was a marked man and fought black flies the rest of the way. Still itchy after three days.
-Rich
 
Got my first dozen bites of the year on Whiteface/Sleepers/Tris this weekend.
 
June 6th, Ward Truck Trail and trail to Seymour, (Western High Peaks), black flies were not an issue at all, maybe a few. The Mosquitos on the truck trail were nasty, stopping just for a moment brought the swarm to you. Moving at a decent clip kept them at bay.
 
Was on Forked Lake this past weekend and the black flies weren't so bad. No picnic but they were tolerable. It also rained most of the time. What were bad, depending on where we were on the lake, were the mosquitoes. Those buggers were out for blood! Fortunately our last day was pretty windy, so that helped.
 
I had a very odd experience with black flies this past weekend. On Sat/28th, I spent the day doing trail work on Airline, circa 4600' or so. The black flies were just about as numerous and vicious as I've ever experienced at that elevation, as well as on the way up. I had to resort to long sleeves/pants and head net. Hikers coming down from the summits reported the same up there.

Then, on Sunday/29th, with more or less the same weather conditions, I was on Cannon, and may have seen a half dozen of the little nasties, total, on the day.

Just as in real estate, location matters, but less like real estate, the situation constantly shifts!

Alex
 
Was on Saddleback and the Horn in Maine on Sunday and got pretty bit up even with the deet. When the wind stopped, they feasted. They left just enough blood for us to get back down the mountain.
 
I had a very odd experience with black flies this past weekend. On Sat/28th, I spent the day doing trail work on Airline, circa 4600' or so. The black flies were just about as numerous and vicious as I've ever experienced at that elevation, as well as on the way up. I had to resort to long sleeves/pants and head net. Hikers coming down from the summits reported the same up there.

Then, on Sunday/29th, with more or less the same weather conditions, I was on Cannon, and may have seen a half dozen of the little nasties, total, on the day.

Just as in real estate, location matters, but less like real estate, the situation constantly shifts!

Alex

I was in King Ravine/Airline/Madison area on Sun 6/29 as well and was also astounded by how many black flies were out. And there wasn't a breath of wind to take the edge off. I was also surprised at how many were out well above treeline. I don't recall ever being bothered that much well beyond the treeline.
 
I was in King Ravine/Airline/Madison area on Sun 6/29 as well and was also astounded by how many black flies were out. And there wasn't a breath of wind to take the edge off. I was also surprised at how many were out well above treeline. I don't recall ever being bothered that much well beyond the treeline.

They were a constant nuisance for me in the first 3.6 miles of the Hancock hike last Sat. I heard they were bothering other hikers fiercely on both summits. They were gone by the time I got to South just before 5 and North at 6:20. No wind either. I had the summits and the ridge to myself that evening - guess the flies left when the last hikers before me did. None bothered me from 5 until I got to my car, happy to say.
 
On the southern peaks a few days ago, I saw zero black fly's, but the skeeter's where nasty below treeline. I hit the Ben's quickly.
 
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