Logging land.

[firefighterjake]

Black flies are trout food. They colder and cleaner the water the more black flies. In the backcountry in Maine they can swarm anything emitting CO2. DEET works to keep them from biting but they still swarm. Some people are allergic to the bites and they swell up big time. They are usually worst from mothers day to fathers day. The move out and the mosquitoes move in.

I'll take the slow moving mosquitoes any day over black flies. The worse part is the swarm when they get in your mouth, ears, nose -- pretty much every orifice and patch of exposed skin. Like you I net up or try to find some Ol' Woodsmen fly dope -- stuff smells like pine pitch, tar and moose poop, but works very well. My wife is highly allergic to them . . . probably that sensitive Nutmegger skin of her's. That said . . . I don't know if it is climate change or I am getting more tolerant, but the last few years it seems as if Black Fly Season is not as bad or as long as it use to be.

 

[peakbagger]

Every so often I will see reports from the Maine Woods during black fly season. The videos seem to be out of focus until I realize that the focus is fine, its the cloud of black flies between the camera and the subject.

I had some friends who retired early so they could go out and recreate various voyageur canoe routes. Many of these routes need to be run in the spring during high water which is usually near peak black fly season. They did a few big trips early on but tapered off. I asked them why one day and his wife's response was that from the minute they opened the tent door in the AM to a hour after they zipped if up at night, the main focus of the day was surviving the swarms of bugs. Bug suits work pretty well but not so easy to eat a meal with bug suit or go out in the woods to use the "bathroom". This apparently got real old after several days in the woods to the point where they didnt mind the rain. They still do trips but avoid the spring bug season.

The Appalachian trail pops out of the woods into sort of the first civilization for those those heading south in my area . Its the first bus stop on the trail for about a month after hikers start at Mt Katahdin. My friends live on the the first side trail that brings hikers to the quickest way to get out of the woods. They have had several times over the years where hikers come knocking on the door desperate to get into town so they can get on a bus and head home as they cant stand the bugs. Once the spring run off is over they taper off and I agree mosquitoes are lot less of an issue than black flies. Of course later in the summer when it get hot the deer flies move in.

 

[kennyp2339]

From stump to ship: A 1930 logging film - YouTube @peakbagger you'll like this one, originates from Maine

 

[Max W]

Edit: hit post by mistake

 

[Max W]

From stump to ship: A 1930 logging film - YouTube @peakbagger you'll like this one

Wow, great film! Working those two man saws, crazy hard way to make a living And the river drivers moving fast and living on the edge. Didn’t know the had the band saws in the mills back then. Enjoyed seeng that as well. I worked in a 100,000 bd ft /day saw mill tailing behind a double screaming band saw. The fidddle music was perfect.

Sorry about the double post. Still getting used to things here.