Where Are the Bugs
 

Barely had black fly season this year and seeing very few mosquito's when I'm outside in late afternoon.Not that I miss them......just seems strange.

South side
 

If you miss them come to the Alton/Gilford side of the lake. Maybe they'll choose you instead of me:laugh:

Those little fellas can't fly in all this wind! Last night was one of the first I can remember being still enough for the skitas to come out—was certainly the only one in a while that I had to go on the screen porch to read!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

I was going to post the same thing. I'm in Meredith and so far it's been relatively bug free. We did go for a walk yesterday and were hounded by dear flies for the first time.:rolleye1:

Stay at home order up to yesterday. Today the bugs will be out.

Alan

Alton Bay
 

Come on over to our house in Alton Bay. We're a little over 200' above lake level on a relatively quiet road, normally a slight wisp of a breeze ablowin', where you can work in our yard weeding and mowing, and any other outdoor activities in which you may want to participate, all the while getting feasted upon and pierced by those very bugs you are seeking.

Aye, and thank goodness for our mesh "Bug Bafflers". They do work. (Google them)

Dave

They're Scarce--It's True...
 

Deer flies are definitely around. They circle you a few times, perhaps landing on your head.

The body's itchy reaction to the bite lasts a week! Bug-spray on the back of exposed arms and legs helps, but has to be applied frequently. A longer explanation appears elsewhere on this forum, including the fact that Deer Flies are attracted to the color blue! :eek2:

Caterpillars must be everywhere. Our nesting Black-Capped Chickadees arrive at their lakeside nesting box twice a minute carrying their customary one or two caterpillars for their nestlings.

Mosquitoes are scarce.

Yup! Time to break out my deer fly-catcher system for mowing my 5 acres...
It does involve a BLUE PLASTIC CUP and TREE TANGLEFOOT!

Heaven Not Haven
 

None of those nasty critters yet here on East Bear Island. No sguirrels, pineys, or chipmunks either. 🐻

Deer Fly Saga and Solution
 

Before beginning to spend the warm weather months in Meredith, we summered at our home in CT. We have a beautiful piece of land there that overlooks a cove off the CT river. Unfortunately, we are surrounded by water, woods and marshland - optimal breeding grounds for deer flies which are the scourge of the insect world. Heck...they are the scourge of the entire animal world IMO. From mid-June till mid-July they are really bad and for many years just made it miserable to do anything outside away from the immediate house.

I went into research mode.

I learned about how they are attracted to blue (so I didn't wear blue) and learned that they almost always are looking to land on your head (so I wore a hat). I tried to do stuff outside when it was cooler, less humid - and sunnier (helped a little). But it was still miserable as the flies would still come, eventually land and find a place to draw blood. And these suckers know how to bite. They are also stealthy (you often can't feel them when they land). It was hard to look forward to being outdoors.

Back to the internet.

I found these TredNot deer fly patches (link below), ordered them and tried them. I swear, they are a life saver. They are cheap, clean/easy to use and EFFECTIVE. Basically, you stick them to your cap and go about your business. When a deer fly lands on your head they are stuck forever. Remove the patches and replace after a few days. I put two on my baseball cap - one on top and the other on the back. One fly after another lands there in peak season and my record was 36 after a 2 hour yard work foray. It's actually quite self-satisfying. The one disadvantage is you have to accept that people may wonder why you're wearing a hat with a bunch of stuck flies on it. It's not a winning formula for impressing the gal next door...but I swear it works and it changed my outdoor enjoyment of that 4 week period in the summer.

I have a few of these patches with me here in NH but where we are there really aren't any deer flies. Still...I'll bring them along during an early summer hike or blueberry picking foray. If deer flies are a problem where you live, try these - they work.

https://www.amazon.com/40-PK-Deerfly...2RRWYTAVHA3P6E

Nice! My tree tanglefoot spread on a blue cup is basically the “home brew” of the Trednots...whatever works!

Nope, It was a Dock Spider...
 

Maybe because of our extensive wood deckings, I'm seeing a lot more wasps, hornets, and bees. (Including the dreaded "White-Faced Hornet"). I wave them off like they were common house flies, but they are much more plentiful than flies! :eek2:

And so far, no ticks sighted. :look:

Was that a little mink at the end of our dock?
:confused:

It has been very dry, which probably accounts for some of the lack of bugs.

This is my first full year here on Mirror Lake. So far, very good - bug wise (few bugs), but it has been unusually dry.

Definitely not complaining ;) !

Maybe it's our neck of the woods, but I have seen a lot of hornets and bees too. Love the bees, the hornets not so much.

I think the dry weather is keeping the bug count down. But I have also seen quite a few bees and Hornets.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app