Blog Archive

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

The Dreaded Blackfly!

I look forward with anticipation every year to winter's end and at long last...spring! Especially after an agonizingly long, hard, cold & snowy one as we've experienced here in Nova Scotia. For heaven's sake it was just last Friday (May 22nd) that it was snowing here again! So many of us have still been having our wood stoves going and others, the heat still on; all the while wondering if the nice weather will actually start this year. Of course we all know it will turn nice, eventually but with that nice weather comes the invasion of one of my most hated insects...that tiny little beast known as the blackfly!


I have been perusing the internet looking for bite relief, repelling ideas and what not & came across an article that I will refer to in a moment. First of all let me tell you that I for one have an adverse reaction to their bite. I itch like mad and then the bite area swells up terribly and spreads out a lot wider than the bite itself and it's very warm to the touch. After about a week, it is still driving me crazy with the itch and I can see in the middle of the swelled and red area that the little bugger has taken a chunk right out of me! There's sort of a hole right there in the middle which wasn't there at first. A week, two weeks, a month and even longer sometimes, I will still be scratching that darn itch! I really hate going outside during blackfly time because they seem to flock to me. I can be with others who say they're not so bad or they won't be bothered by them swarming around their heads as I am so I can only conclude the reason being that they are all after me. I swear this is true. They swarm me so terribly and get in my ears, always my ears, or my mouth as I try to breath, in behind my glasses and on any bare piece of skin they can find. I sort of go into what I'd describe as a very angry panic mode. I start waving one hand around my face while my other hand trys to cover my mouth and the way they keep coming, by the droves, about drives me insane! I can't help it. I really, really, hate them and as a result I miss a lot of once pleasurable outdoor activities. Fishing being the big one. Then there's gardening, mowing the lawn, picnics, hikes, just relaxing out in the nice warm weather or any outside activity. Lawn sales, games, standing to talk coming out of the grocery store, etc.etc. I have tried almost all of the sprays, home remedies, insect hoods and jackets and nothing really works. I've worn those netted jackets with a hood that completely encases you to no avail.



True story:
I needed to mow the lawn one warm spring day so I walked around the yard to check the blackfly situation out. They were out there but I figured I'd be able to handle them and get the job done. So I went back inside and donned my blackfly armor.
1. Blackfly repellant slathered on every inch of skin that might come in contact with them
2. Cotton balls in my ears (yes, I learned that trick a long time ago since they always head there!)
3. Netted jacket with hood
4. Baseball cap (added protection)
5. Garden gloves plus elastic bands to secure them to sleeves of netted jacket
As an added precaution I tucked fabric softener sheets up under my cap as people told me they worked to keep the varmints away.
Ready now I went out to attack the lawn (which I actually enjoy doing). After a few turns around the yard I noticed a blackfly buzzing around my face on the inside. By the way, do you know how hard it is with all that gear on to squash a blackfly?
I thought to myself, ok, one of them must've gotten in there while I was putting the jacket on and kept mowing. Then I noticed another one, and another. I stopped for a moment and as I stood there I watched as those little devils made their way right thru the netting!
So I went into the house and put another netted contraption on over the first and sprayed some more repellant over all of me and the clothing. I was feeling quite proud of myself thinking I'd outwitted them now! Back outside to the mower. Now with two of these things over my head it was getting uncomfortably hot. The sweat was dripping down my face and into my eyes and I had no way of wiping it off. (I should add here that I also get quite miserable when I get stcky hot like that) Then my glasses started fogging up!  As I was trying to remedy my steadily worsening situation the unspeakable happened again! To make a long story short those hungry little monsters made it thru the double netting and were attacking my eyes, ears, everywhere! That was the point where, as I stated above, that angry, panicky mode took over and I quit!
 I waved the white flag resulting in Blackflies 1, Sue 0.
And they are still winning.

 
Here are some facts that I came across while reading the info at:


  • Black flies breed in running water, unlike mosquitoes, which breed in still water. Because there are about forty species, not all flourish at the same time.
    Black flies can travel several miles from their breeding site, so those environmental rules cannot be counted on completely, as a means to avoid them.
Since they don't flourish at the same time I wonder if that's the reason I run into them practically all summer! And I am so lucky...I live a very short distance from a brook that has a small waterfall and rapid-like flow!


  • Strong breezes tend to disperse them, as they are a very small insect.
    I have found, and others confirm, that black flies are generally inactive until the air temperature has risen to at least 50 degrees F., even in black fly season.
Not necessarily true. Take today, I was out hanging a bird feeder and it was quite breezy so I thought that it would keep them away....not!

  • “Black flies are strongly influenced by color — they find dark hues more attractive than pale ones, and blue, purple, brown, and black more attractive than white or yellow. A light-colored shirt, therefore, is a much better choice of clothing than a dark blue one. 
I must remember this.


  • “Black flies often swarm around a person’s head because they are attracted to carbon dioxide in the breath. … Bites are concentrated on exposed areas of skin, especially along the hairline, feet, ankles and arms.” Courtesy Jeffrey Hahn, University of Minnesota Extension Service.
How did they get my picture??

  • “The bites can produce a variety of reactions ranging from little or no irritation to considerable irritation and swelling. Sensitivity varies from person to person.” Courtesy Jeffrey Hahn, University of Minnesota Extension Service.


  • In general, unlike mosquitoes, they will not fly at night or penetrate most clothing.
 Good to know.... I guess I could switch my hours around...stay up all night, sleep all day! 


  • Head nets and body nets really work, if one takes care to leave no gaps where the netting meets the shoulders or the ankles. Head nets can be draped over the hat you usually wear, or a version with an internally attached cap can be purchased.  When used without a cap, care must be taken to leave a small space all around the head that the insect cannot penetrate.
OK, this is the one I was wearing in my story. They DID get thru the netting! I know they're not supposed to be able to. There were no holes and there were no gaps. And remember, I was wearing two at the end. This could be a species thing I suppose. Some smaller than others? 



So there's my rundown on that tiny blood sucking creature who causes more harm and stress on a steady basis every spring than any other insect I come in contact with. If anyone knows of a great blackfly repellant or trick to keep them at bay please feel free to post below for me. All suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

the info I have here is taken from 
http://mainenaturenews.com/black-fly-reports/black-fly-info/

So go forth my dear friends, don your blackfly armor and have a terrific spring and summer! And remember......mosquitos are next!




Has anyone tried this product? I'd like to find out if it works good. 

No comments:

Post a Comment