melodyc

I'm getting married up in the Bar Harbor area in a few weeks, and I'm curious to hear how bugs/flies are this season. I've heard it varies a lot from year to year, and I'd like to be prepared for what it'll be like!

Our wedding is outside on the water, so I'm hoping that a breeze will keep the bugs away. Fingers crossed!

jcasale

Fingers crossed indeed! You will be better off on the coast in general. Also daytime is better than evening. It has been very wet and cold in Maine. What that means is that the mosquitos are going to be ferocious, so evenings will get to be a bit of a challenge being outside. But, as you have said if there is a breeze that might keep them at bay. I would plan on having lots of bug repellent available for your guests. We had a 50th wedding anniversary party for my parents last year on June 26th and actually were grateful that it rained because it kept the bugs away (and we had a tent so everyone stayed pretty dry). Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. Having been married on the shore in Maine across the water from Mount Desert Island, I can think of no better place to tie the knot !

tbelgian

They say it's going to be a very bad year for bugs, or should I say a good year for the bugs, because of the weeks of rain that we've had. So far the black flies are very hungry. As jcasale said, make lots of bug spray available. Also LL Beans had a new line of "Bug Off" clothing. I'm not convinced it works that well but it is some help. Don't worry about it anyway. Who doesn't expect lots of biting bugs when they come to Maine in June. I would also bring the after bite stuff be it cortizone or witch hazel or whatever you like.

tracys2cents

Well, at least if you're at a wedding, the bugs will be after the food instead of being after YOU. If anything is being grilled, throw plenty of garlic on the coals it helps drive the bugs away.

starrsville

We were there a few years ago and thing were fine until dusk. We were eating wonderful lobster at picnic tables outside a great lobster shack when the sun starting going down - and the flies seemed like they were in attack mode. We abandoned our food and went down the road to an indoor restaurant! No problems during the day or later in the evening. Dusk was a BIG problem for us.

jcasale

Well, if we humans are going to have our dinner in around dusk, shouldn't the poor bugs be able to eat also ? It's only fair.

tracys2cents

Maybe you could place an array of fresh fruits about 100 yards away from your party and create a diversion.

Also there are some colors that flies don't like, so dress your bridesmaids accordingly!

melodyc

I had to laugh out loud at dressing the bridesmaids accordingly... usually, one picks out the bridesmaids' dresses more than two weeks before the wedding. The dresses are green.

The reception ends around 8:30 PM, which is around sunset.

We don't want to ask our guests to bathe in bug spray upon entering the reception. What about if we lined our deck with citronella candles? How well do those really work? Anything products we can *really* use around the reception site to keep the bugs away?

jcasale

green should actualy be fine - at least for mosquitos. They tend to like blue. You could try the citronella, but Consumer Reports did some testing of the various bug stuff a year or so ago and the only thing that they found that worked was DEET. Since mosquitos are attracted to carbon dioxide, just tell your guests not to exhale ! Mostly I'd just say to have the stuff avaiable for people who want it. Some people will probably decide to spray themselves and the rest can hang out near them ;-).

starrsville

There's a yard spray that you can spray in the area and it works pretty well. That plus citronella votives around should be a big help. Wal-Mart has them at a great price.

There are also toilettes with bug spray available. You may want to have some of those in baskets in the area and people can use if needed.

melodyc

I'm back! Thought y'all would like to know that there were no problems with bugs... it was much cooler than average for our wedding, and a bit damp, so that kept the bugs away! The misty weather was actually kind of romantic... it was certainly nice not to be swatting at bugs the whole time!

starrsville

Thanks for the bug report, but more importantly....

CONGRATULATIONS on your wedding!

Did you by chance see the Italian wedding pictures that were on this board a few weeks ago. Amazing B&W shots of reflections in puddles on the piazza!

Rain is supposed to be good luck on a wedding day. Many happy years together!

tbelgian

melodyc,
Thanks for the update and Congratulations on your wedding!
Yes, there is something magical about the misty coast of Maine, but now that your wedding is over maybe we can have a little summer weather.
I'm glad it all went well.
tbelgian