Whats worst

[snowshoe]

This topic has been brought up but what do you think is worst black flies or Deer flies. All I know is that the deer flies this year are the worst I have ever seen. They seem a lot worst than black flies. Just hiking today there must have been a hundred swarming around me. Everytime I went to swipe at them I would catch one, that is how many were chasing me. They are making hiking very unpleasant this year. thats why I have been on the bike more. Can not wait for the winter. What does everyone else think?

 

[marty]

For now, it's deer flies, hands down. Once I arm myself with some of the suggested weapons to deal with them (Racquet Zapper, Off Botanicals), I may change my mind. The deer flies came out early this year and have been absolutely savage!

 

[dentonfabrics]

We biked out to Plum Island last weekend and deer flies made minced meat out of my girlfriend.

Besides, black flies should be dieing off any day now, right?

 

[Pete_Hickey]

What's worse? Physical or mental torture. I find that the deerflies start driving me crazy after 5-6 hours. The blackflies just mess me up.

Deerflies: A horrible experience a few years ago when cycling down to the Adirondacks. It was one of those hot humid days..temperature inthe upper 90s. I was doing the last few miles of a 160 mile trip, on the road into the Loj. I'm real tired, dehydrated, and the road is kind of uphill (you don't really notice that in a car.

So, you know how bike helmets have vent holes in them? Bet you don't know this. Those holes are too small for a finger, but large enough for a deer fly.

So, I'm riding in, the drre flies are buzzing around my head with that droning A-flat pitched buzzing, and they're going in the vent holes.

I can't squish them!

Pure torture, and I'm sure they knew it, and were laughing at me.

 

[SherpaKroto]

After doing the Traveler Loop 2 weeks ago with Gris, black flies have become the #1 predator I've ever faced. Seriously. The only way I could deal with them when waiting for Gris was to will myself asleep. I really felt like I was going insane(r).

Besides, deer flies are so easy to swat that they aren't much sport

 

[forestgnome]

My first line of defense is my sweat towel. In warm weather, I always carry a small hand towel/large face cloth. It's very comforting to wipe my face and neck as I sweat. When flies are out, it's very handy for swatting.

 

[Head]

Black flies to me are just a menace. Deer flies on the other hand, make me go into a touretts fit!

 

[skiguy]

I usually seem to find some defense with the black flies by wearing long sleeves,long pants,Headnet, and plenty of bug dope. On the other hand the deer flies seem to be ammune to any sort of defense. I have heard,wether true or not that deer flies are atrracted to movement. Hiking is movement,attempted swatting more movement, theoreticaly more deer flies.
Don't know if it would work or not for hiking because I've never tried it but a neighbor of mine developed a homemade contraption in defense of deer flies while gardening. It consist of a Hardhat construction Helmet for starters. He fastened a propeller on the top much like the old beanies of yesteryear; then wrapped the remainder of the helmet in fly paper. Seems to work pretty good or at least cuts down on the particular swarm at hand. It goes like this...movement from the propeller attracts the flies to the head area and they get hung up in the fly paper before they realize what's good for them.
Something tells me you would get some bizarre looks while hiking down the trail with one of these contraptions mounted on your noggin...but if it works who knows?

 

[Sugarloafer]

We biked out to Plum Island last weekend and deer flies made minced meat out of my girlfriend.

Besides, black flies should be dieing off any day now, right?

Were they really deerflys or were they greenheads which are due to come out soon (I saw my first one sea kayaking around the Ipswich River last weekend) ? Greenheads inhabitate saltmarsh areas (they're the town bird in Ipswich) and usually are out for about 3 weeks in early to mid July, depending on the tides/moon phases. These guys are absolutely brutal ! SkinSoSoft works some, but if you're at the beach you''ll use about a gallon of it if you go in the water. The locals know to stay home during "Greenhead Season".

 

[Bob Kittredge]

I laugh at black flies. I few days of scratching I can live with. But a deer fly took a chuck out of me once, and I still cringe when I see one. The mosquitos were bad in Baxter this past weekend, but I spent more time slapping at the few deer flies that were around.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

contraption in defense of deer flies

My son, who works/lives in the woods (adirondacks) doing trailwork, tells me that he knows how to beat them. He claims that the deer flies go for the highest moving thing, normally the head.

Now, my son carries a larg-ish pack

http://newmud.comm.uottawa.ca/~pete/jr_pack.jpg

Note that the pack is rather high. He frequently carries a rock bar as well, which raises it even higher. He claims that if you put a hat on something that is several feet above our head, the deer flies circle around that, and leave you alone.

Probably not practicle for most people, although it could lead marketers to start packing hiking poles in packs of three: Two for walking, and one for holding a hat up high.

 

[Rugger]

"He claims that the deer flies go for the highest moving thing, normally the head."

Tuesday night at Rugby practice in Portsmouth we were swarmed with deer flies and the discussion of raising something above your head came up and we got to wondering if that is how the Native American concept of wearing a feather came from? It did work for me whenever I stood near the taller guys on the team!

 

[sp1936]

Besides, black flies should be dieing off any day now, right?

I wish. I just got swarmed with the little bastards on the N. Twin Trail this morning. Eyes, ears, all their lovely little tricks.

I hate black flies more than anything.

Steve

 

[Jaytrek57]

I think black flies inflict more physical damage, but deer flies play with our emotional well being. I don't have any proof or links...but will say this.

I have literally "crippled" a deer fly with a crushing blow and the bastard just laughed at me and told his friends, who then preceded to do "fly-bys" even though the "pattern was full." (Cheap movie reference).

Great...now I'm itchy.

 

[Puma concolor]

Deer fly are worse, hands down. For whatever reason, black flies have never found me particularly attractive. As long as I keep moving and wear a baseball hat, I have almost zero problems with black flies ... a few bites here and there but nothing to really complain about.

Bleepin' deer flies though ... the darn things will stalk me for miles at a time and as soon as I finally get rid of one, another will pick up the scent. They almost seem terratorial.

 

[Jim lombard]

Another vote for deerflies. I swear several followed me one day from the top of Mt Field all the way to Zealand hut. I was running at the end for shelter in the hut common room. I HATE THEM!

 

[Davehiker]

I vote for deer flies being worse. Their heavy-duty buzzing is worse, and their bite HURTS! I also seem to be much more sensitive to the bite, as it'll hurt for hours. 4 or 5 bites lay me out, with a systemic reaction that leaves me sleepy. Black flies don't cause anything like that for me.

My daughter, on the other hand, gets a bad reaction from the black flies. If she gets 3 bites, she's sick in bed. The bites swell up to baseball size on her.

 

[dentonfabrics]

Were they really deerflys or were they greenheads which are due to come out soon (I saw my first one sea kayaking around the Ipswich River last weekend) ? Greenheads inhabitate saltmarsh areas (they're the town bird in Ipswich) ".

Yes Sugarloafer, they were greenheads. I stand corrected. Nasty, nasty little critters they are.

 

[Lawn Sale]

This year the blackflies were especially atrocious, biting me over 20 times on just one leg, some of them still haven't fully gone away. However, I'd rather have them than the deerflys, those things hurt! I did notice, on my recent section hike of the AT, that wearing my booonie hat really helped as they didn't seem to know what to do without my head exposed. They buzzed around me for a few miles, and I figured they'd just bite when they were ready, but they left without incident.

 

[kd9truck]

I carry an arsenal ,deep woods off when over powered and fustrated buy all forms off pest. I like to start the day with citranella lotion then I,ll go for the 100% deet pump, yes this is a highly toxic mix (I spent most of 2001 diging for my fellow firefighters at the trade center the toxicity I get from a bottle of deet is next to nothing. I get 3 or4 days every other month I am not going to let a fly stop me from Inflicting my own brand of torture on my self. Washing every time I brake out the stove or pass a stream with my bandana helps with the hygene aspect. Try puting the reppellant on your clothes .