LisaDee

We're starting to plan a Jun 2007 trip to the Bar Harbor area (I know, it's a long time away but we want to use freq flier miles so we need to book far in advance.)

Some of the websites I've looked at note that the black fly season is mid-May to mid-June. What can I expect from these little buggers? Do they swarm you while you're hiking? Are they mainly around the lakes and ponds or all over? If we go in the 3rd week of June am I risking having a miserable vacation (we really hope to spend all our time outdoors)?

Thanks for any insight you can offer.

zootsi

Blackflies - the bane of the north woods! They are typically found from approximately Massachussets north to the Arctic circle. For Maine, they usually are at their worst from about Memorial Day to July 4th, but this can vary based upon weather, altitude, etc. They are small gnat like critters that live in wooded areas, especially near clear mountain streams. They do cluster around your eyes and ears, bite and draw blood, and can drive a person crazy on a bad day. If you are near the ocean, they are not nearly as common. The best defense is a windy day, and lots of bug repellant.
I've never been to Bar Harbor during black fly season, so I don't know how bad they get near there.
By late June, I'm sure there will be lots of moquitoes also!

RetiredVermonter

Black flies..... Brrrr!

We've seen them some since, butr never as bad as one June when we camped in Vermont, in fact, though Maine has bad ones, too, at that time of year!

As has been pointed out, they are worst inland -- not so bad right on the coast, where breezes help some. In our case, they were TERRIBLE at the campsite during the daytime. Swarms of them would bite, draw blood, etc. At night, they'd go away.

If you're in populated areas, especially on the coast, you should be okay, but beware of camping in wooded areas at those times!

Enjoy!

celfan

I live in Vermont. Because of blackflies I don't hike in Vermont or Adirondacks in june. And don't forget their equally annoying cousins-the deerflies! They're the only things that keep New England from being perfect Funny thing, some people attract them and some don't. Bug spray is not completely effective against blackflies. Some people swear that eating a lot of garluc helps?

If you don't go in deep woods you'll probably be fine.

sundowner

I was only in Maine once. June 2003. I was on a photography workshop taking pictures of moose so we were outside. The black flies were horrible. They bit everything that was exposed and they got in my hair especially at the hairline. It was awful. The leader of this trip told everyone to buy bug shirts from this place http://www.bugshirt.com/ and they helped alot. One of the guys must have been allergic because his hands were bitten and they swelled up pretty bad. We used bug spray with Deet but it didn't seem to be effective.

But as bad as it was, I would definitely go again. It's a beautiful part of the country and I had a wonderful trip. Make sure you have some kind of bug shirt that covers your head, long pants, socks etc. I don't want to discourage you about the trip but to make sure you are prepared for the black flies if you encounter them. I know we hiked awhile in Baxter State Park (I think) and I don't remember the flies bothering us there.

Have a great trip!

gomiki

I went white water rafting on the Kennebec River many years ago. No one mentioned black flies. Out of our party of four I was the one with the most bites. One person had only one or two. I had dozens. I was told later that they have an anesthetic of sorts so you don't feel them biting. I had bites near my eye that ended up with me having a black eye. The welts on my arms lasted for a very long time and were very painful. I haven't been back.

bigtyke

we were in Bar Harbor in June 29-30 and had no problems.

The only time I experienced black flies was one late May at Greenville. We took my grandmother for a drive and stopped to look at the lake and opened the windows. Within minutes, the inside of the car seemed full of the pests!

celfan

Ok I'm going to give it to you straight, much to the chagrin of the Maine (VT,NH,NY)Tourist Departments. Black flies and deer flies are nothing like Mosqutoes. The flies do not have stingers, they bite into your skin with very sharp teeth and lick up your blood. They leave giant welts, so try not to get one on your nose, and they take a long time to go away.They truly can ruin a vacation.

In other words, they really suck.

pat

Was on a river in NH in July, and there were what was called green headed flies. Is that the same thing? They were big, and just wouldn`t go away, even if you tried swatting them. They hurt when they bite.

TxTravelPro

Do long sleeve shirts/long pants help at all?

zootsi

Green Headed flies are very different from black flies. Green Heads are a large salt water fly that leaves a very itchy welt. They are a pest of the summer beaches and marshes. Deer flies are housefly sized biting flies that come out mid summer in the deep woods and fields. They also leave an itchy welt, and love to buzz around the top of your head. Blackflies are quite tiny, and swarm around your eyes and ears and in your hairline. They make tiny rips in your skin, and also leave an itchy, bloody welt. Blackflies are creatures of freshwater streams, and are worst in late spring. Longsleeve shirts and pants, and hats all help, but for severe days you need some type of body net to be outside for prolonged periods.

1travelbug

Hey LisaDee~ My husband and I were up there with our 2 girls June 17-24. My 5-year-old suffered 1 bite, on her ear, and it took a few hours for the bleeding to stop. It took even longer (2-3 days) for the burning feeling to stop. I would definitely go back, but not any sooner than the third or fourth week (there is NO WAY I'd want to deal with multiple bites after seeing what it did to my daughter!).

I think you'll be fine...just bring the bug spray "in case..."

Christina

LoveItaly

Good grief, reading these posts is like watching some horror movie, lol. I had no idea..