joethebear

Thinking of coming to Bar Harbor area around May 20 for several nights. I am worried about the black flies I have read about. This is the only time we have to travel and I need to finalize plans. GO? NOT?

1travelbug

Hey joe...I'm going from June 17th to the 24th and I've got the same concern. I read a recent post on this forum saying that people are better off booking late in June (if not early July) in order to avoid the black flies. I wonder if they're all over the place or just near the shore...

Anyone?

Christina

dfrostnh

I live in black fly territory. If you aren't spending time in the woods they shouldn't be a problem. Some years they aren't bad and only bother when I'm out in the yard (we live in the woods). We spent a weekend in Bar Harbor in late June and I don't remember any problem at all. It was our last family weekend before high school graduation and our son's departure for boot camp. He rode his bike around and up Cadillac. We took a nice walk thru an azalea garden. We have also spent a June week in the Searsport area camping. No fly problem at all. It was a great time to see lupines and we attended a lupine festival in the Blue Hill peninsula area. May 20th might be iffy. If you've got a good breeze it helps. If you're on pavement or open spaces, they shouldn't be a problem. If you are hiking, they could be. In the Concord NH area they are starting to come out but it's been very dry and they aren't bad yet. This weekend they could be (May 7) and will last for a couple of weeks. They are not a problem at night and sometimes not in the morning if we've had a cold night. So, sunrise on top of Cadillac should be fine! Actually they might not be a problem on top of Cadillac since it's breezy and rocky. GO!!!

virginia

hi joe and christina, i sure wouldn't cancel your trips. black flies are def annoying and their bites do itch a bit more than mosquitoes do, but several of us have lived through it.
they seem to swarm at dawn and dusk but are around 24/7. a breeze definetly helps. stay in direct sun, not in the shade. use deet on you and your clothing. be sure to get the back of your ankles, neck, the part in your hair, and your ears (ears seem to be a tasty favorite for black flies!) some say a dryer sheet tucked into your pants pocket helps.
they are the worst in the woods and especially wet boggy areas. even the moose come out this time of year cause they get biten too.
there is almost always a breeze in bar harbor.
when you're here try to make it over to schoodic point. its part of the park but on the mainland not the island. huge, dramatic rocks that you can hang out or walk around on with the ocean crashing. oh so scenic and more like the real coast of maine than bh.

xxx30

The black fly should be a protected species please come and help feed them so future generations can be enjoyed.
If you are skinney dipping on one of the remote ponds on the MDI be sure to keep you but covered. Enjoy.