Mosquito problem in Talkeetna (Anchorage, Unalakleet: vacation, job, recreation)

[igloo]

Anyone familiar with the mosquito situation in Talkeetna - worse or better than other areas on Alaska? Would appreciate any information you could pass on to me. Thanks.

[alan roberson]

Not bad at all this year - and I dont think it's ever really bad here compared to the North Slope - no head nets, etc.

[igloo]

Originally Posted by alan roberson

Not bad at all this year - and I dont think it's ever really bad here compared to the North Slope - no head nets, etc.

ALAN ROBERSON: Thanks for the info. What do you use for repellent? I have heard about DEET, but my sons may not fare too well due to allergic reations to DEET. What about the NOSEEUMS I have heard about? Do you have much trouble in Taleetna with those guys? Thanks.

[Rainy]

Your kids would have fun with those hand held mosquito zappers--they sell them in the main store in Talkeetna, can't recall the name offhand. I've been there through bad and not so bad years.

[igloo]

Originally Posted by Rainy

Your kids would have fun with those hand held mosquito zappers--they sell them in the main store in Talkeetna, can't recall the name offhand. I've been there through bad and not so bad years.

RAINY: Thanks for the info. I'll check on those zappers for the boys.

[Rainy]

Remembered the store that carried them last year; Nagley's General Store in Talkeetna. I know they are around at other places though.

[AKSnowbird]

Stay out of the swamps for mosquitoes, and don't stir up the brush for no-see-ums. ...but it is Alaska so expect nature!

[Glitch]

I guess I've been here too long, because I don't even notice the mosquitoes any longer. The noseums can be a pain when you accidentally walk into a cloud of them, but otherwise aren't very noticeable either.

The one insect I can do without, however, are White Socks (biting Black flies). They like to land on your hiking boots and crawl up your pant leg until they reach the top of your socks, where they begin to feed on your exposed flesh. Those buggers leave permanent scars! If bitten several times in one night, it can cause your foot from the calf down to swell significantly and be tender for several hours.

These buggers are certainly why the military teaches its recruits to blouse their boots. For those without boot-blouses, keep your pant leg tucked into your boots at all times. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

[Arcticthaw]

Originally Posted by Glitch

I guess I've been here too long, because I don't even notice the mosquitoes any longer. The noseums can be a pain when you accidentally walk into a cloud of them, but otherwise aren't very noticeable either.

The one insect I can do without, however, are White Socks (biting Black flies). They like to land on your hiking boots and crawl up your pant leg until they reach the top of your socks, where they begin to feed on your exposed flesh. Those buggers leave permanent scars! If bitten several times in one night, it can cause your foot from the calf down to swell significantly and be tender for several hours.

These buggers are certainly why the military teaches its recruits to blouse their boots. For those without boot-blouses, keep your pant leg tucked into your boots at all times. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Must be a south centra thing, Haven't had too many flys attatck, but when I am in the woods, I normally have Xxtra tuffs on and yet the pantlegs are tucked in, but to keep them dry.

[Glitch]

Bug experts say mosquitoes are easy to deal with compared with the black fly. These squat flies with large, rounded wings and a distinctive humpback shape tend to congregate in forested areas and along waterways.

Many people are allergic to their bite, which can itch for days, sometimes weeks. Ed Holsten, an entomologist with the U.S. Forest Service in Anchorage, said he has received calls from doctors as far flung as Texas who have seen patients suffering from bites long after their vacation was over.

Black flies are unusually sneaky and persistent. Unlike mosquitoes, they like to crawl around in search of the choicest bites. Their specialty is getting into areas where clothing is tight, like inside your shirt or under your hat band.

''You don't expect to swat a mosquito off those spots,'' Holsten said. ''Mosquitoes land and never crawl around.''

A couple of years ago, Jake Schlapfer and a colleague were traveling down the Unalakleet River about 400 miles northwest of Anchorage. An outdoor recreation planner for the federal Bureau of Land Management, Schlapfer checks on the condition of rivers and nearby recreational areas.

It was hot, and the river banks were teeming with more black flies than he had ever seen. The hordes were so thick that the men duct-taped their sleeves and pants to their wrists and ankles to prevent the bugs from taking up residence inside their clothes.

The men, like the flies, were hungry and decided to catch their dinner. Schlapfer dropped a line and quickly caught a silver salmon. As it turned out, catching it was the easy part; eating it was another matter.

Schlapfer managed to fillet half the fish before the voracious black fly hordes swooped in, covering the carcass from head to tail.

''You couldn't even tell what color the meat was,'' he said.

He plunged the fish underwater, then kept it there while he finished cleaning it. The men quickly cooked it before retreating to their tent to eat. For the rest of the night, they watched the bugs crawl over the tent looking for a way to get inside.
Schlapfer, who claims to enjoy his job, recalls thinking: ''I don't get paid enough to do this.''

-- Excerpt from
Eaten Alive
Alaskans who make a living outdoors tell the most frightening bug stories
(Lifestyles, July 23, 2000)
By Holly M. Sanders
Daily News Reporter


Black flies (aka white socks, buffalo gnats)
Family Simuliidae
Small, rather squat flies with large, rounded wings and a distinctive humpback shape. Most common are ''white socks,'' so-called because of the white stripes on their legs. Females bite and can be extremely annoying in forested areas. They are sneaky, crawling into such hard-to-reach spots as under watch bands or hat brims. The intensely itchy bite begins as a small, red dot in the middle of a slightly swollen area, then grows into a large, inflamed area.