Ok...Where are the black flies? (Bangor, Turner: buy, luxury, organic) - Maine (ME) - Page 5 - City-Data Forum

duff30329 · 03-13-2007, 03:47 PM

Wear a long sleeved shirt during black fly season. Those little critters have a hellava bite.....backyard bar-b-q's can be an experience for those who never had to deal with these particular species. Every part of the state is infested later in the summer....good luck.

CapeCodder · 03-22-2007, 05:35 PM

Well it looks as if we're going to be looking at Waldo county now...possibly Montville or Palermo. The properties we've been looking at are very wooded. We've been up to Maine a few times this winter (we have bare ground here on the Cape!). It's been an adventure and it hasn't turned us off in the least. We'll be in Maine by summer (fingers crossed)...just in time for the flies!
I'll be investing in the proper gear and some spray (my realtor just laughs at me...she's a Maine native).
Honestly, we can't wait to be up there full time...we love it!

Submariner · 03-22-2007, 08:04 PM

Look the mosquitoes arrive in a heavy wave.

I spray all standing water two weeks before the first wave. All the native locals around here know and will tell you exactly when the first wave of mosquitoes will hit. I spray standing water every week, for the first month of the primary mosquito wave. After that I back off to spraying once every two weeks, and the mosquitoes are not so bad.

The black fly arrives in a wave, later. There are websites that track the black fly. Last year we [my county] did not even have any black fly wave, the black flys swept through the state but the waves went by us.

Black fly does not lay their eggs in standing water, rather they lay their eggs on the underside of leaves in the dew drops.

virginia farm girl · 04-21-2007, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duff30329

Wear a long sleeved shirt during black fly season. Those little critters have a hellava bite.....backyard bar-b-q's can be an experience for those who never had to deal with these particular species. Every part of the state is infested later in the summer....good luck.

Get ready...they're coming!!

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u16/gregg1971/closet-1.gif (broken link)

AlisonL · 04-21-2007, 05:58 PM

Mosquitos were out in Turner today!

Submariner · 04-21-2007, 08:52 PM

We went out kayaking this afternoon, did not detect any.

Clear sunny and just great!

dramamama6685 · 04-22-2007, 05:24 AM

BTW, never get between mamma Bush and China at the outlet mall in Kennebunk and NEVER get between Stephen King and a cheesecake at the Bangor Sams LOL[/quote]

If i ever got to meet Stephen King, I might even make him a cheescake! BThat is too funny but I'll keep that advice in mind when we head up in September!

Submariner · 04-22-2007, 01:41 PM

Black fly [family Simuliidae genus Simulium] travel through the state in localized waves. Each wave travels a short distance, breeds and dies; then a week later the next generation hatches, travels and breeds again.

There have been websites where an attempt is made to track the migration of each wave.

Right now I do not seem to find the current site tracking them for this up coming season.

rabbitlover · 04-23-2007, 04:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapeCodder

I keep reading about the dreaded black flies.
My sister cut her vacation short while camping somewhere in Maine a few years ago due to being *attacked* by the flies constantly.

Here's my question...are they EVERYWHERE?
Are there certain parts of the state where they are worse? We are thinking of moving to one of the smaller towns around the Augusta/Waterville area and I'm curious what the black fly population is like there (I can't find town specific info...maybe it doesn't exist?). I would love to hear about this area in particular, but also about the flies and just how bad it is.

I HATE horseflies at the beach (ow)...so I'm a little concerned about these black flies that caused my sister, brother in law, and thier children to abandon their vacation. I'm having a hard time picturing it being so severe that they would leave, but she told me that they were relentless and that they were all very miserable.

Yes, they are everywhere and they attack certain people more than others. Don't ask me why, but that is how they have been with my family.
What works against them is eucalyptus oil ...

mollysmiles · 04-23-2007, 07:21 AM

I so agree with rabbitlover! My husband gets bit more than I do. There have been times when you can see them around his head, and none are around me. We'll definately try the eucalyptus oil! Wonder if that would work for mosquitos too?