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Hey everybody!
Does anyone have a good source of info (or just a guess based on previous years) for when we can expect to start seeing black flies in the park?
I'm trying to plan a trip for before the start of spring bug season, but I want to wait as long as possible before the bugs come out so that I'm not frozen, if that's possible to do.
Thanks
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Past couple of years the black fly season has started a little after the May long weekend. However if we get a significantly earlier ice-out this year, as most of us are predicting, the black flies could come out correspondingly sooner. Then again, if we do get that early spring, it will also help you not be frozen if you stay ahead of the black flies.
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I do a spring trip almost every year (well, 2 or every 3 years…). It's a week long and always the first full week of May. The weather is almost always beautiful - often we can wear shorts for most of the days. At the beginning of the week there are zero bugs. Zero. But by the last few days, we need bug nets over our faces to exist at the camp site. That's been my experience, anyway.
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My experience is that the bugs are usually non-existent to tolerable through the first half to two-thirds of May. Once you get past the halfway point of the month the risk goes up. It's primarily the black flies that offer the greatest hassle and the easiest solution is to wear the right clothing. Long sleeves with a tight cuff, long pants tucked into your socks and DEET on your hands and exposed neck/face. If it does get really bad pull out the headnet or get a change of scenery...out on the water or around a smokey fire.
I don't own a bug jacket...that would probably be needed for June. The mosquitoes are typically only annoying around dusk and dawn and are repelled very well by DEET.
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I echo the thoughts of pjr2013 and PaPaddler. In my experience the first or second week of May has been about the best tradeoff between weather and bugs. Last year, we had cold rain the first day, snow the second day and then a gradual warm up to T-shirt weather. No bugs until our last day and even then they weren't biting yet.
Of course, Mother Nature will always throw curveballs when you least expect...
First one or two weeks in May you should be ok for bugs. Key is to be prepared for them regardless. I've had years where I had more bug bites in August than during my June trip just because I let my guard down.
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first or second week of May like most of the others here. I will add though that I do a second week of May trip every year and without fail, we get all 4 seasons over the course of the week. Usually start in shorts and end the trip clearing snow off our tents.....I'd rather deal with that though, than have to blow black flies out of my nose every time I take a breath....
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when bones start to pile up along the trails, thats it,,,, black fly season has begun.
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Record for the last 6 years of Victoria Day trips.
Annoying things that buzz and bite - 1
Us - 5
First year on Jubilee we packed the normal bug stuff, a little 35% D.E.E.T. , coils and crappo cheap dollar store bug jackets and lost.
Then we got serious and starting packing a bug tent, more coils, better bug jackets and just to let them know we really were serious, a bottle of 90% D.E.E.T. just to make sure we won.
Well they must have seen us coming because for the last 5 years I have set up the bug tent once (not needed) and never cracked the heavy duty D.E.E.T.
Let them know you are serious and learn to pick a breezy site.
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Last year Victoria day. 3 nights on clydegale. Very few bugs if any. My experience has been June pretty heavy in to early July. So many variables. We did June 21 weekend two year ago. Zero bugs in camp but portage were heavy yet bearable. Bug jackets required. Best bet is late July In to august. Although with a lack of bugs comes hordes of tourists. Not sure which I prefer lol!
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I've fallen into the "it's going to be an early ice-out" camp for this year, so I wouldn't bet on Victoria Day weekend being light on bugs. The single worst black fly experience I ever had was over that weekend in 2010 (although ice-out that year was in early April).
After waffling on it for quite a while, I just moved up my spring trip by a week specifically to avoid emerging black flies. I'm now heading in very early May.
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