Flying, Biting BUGS in the Woods (Rocky Mount: house, to buy, high school)

[stu_stu]

I’ve read many of the previous threads on mosquitoes and bugs and got the overall impression that the bugs are quite tolerable on the northern coast of NC except after hurricanes or after a drought followed by heavy rain. And then the mosquitoes, biting flies, no see ems, can make for true misery.

But is this true for wooded property? I’ve got a horse and I’m looking to buy acreage on one of the sounds not too far inland. Most of the limited upland on these properties has substantial surrounding “Bottomland Hardwood“ and “Swamp Forests” (Wetland designations) which according to soil surveys "flood frequently" (eg Do (Dorovan); Ch (Chowan)).

What about heavily wooded property that “floods frequently”? Is it always chocked full of flying biting pests most of the year?

Thank you

[box_of_zip_disks]

Yeah you got all the usual suspects during spring and summer then it's tick season in the fall.

[stu_stu]

Originally Posted by box_of_zip_disks

Yeah you got all the usual suspects during spring and summer then it's tick season in the fall.

Tick season in the fall? You gotta be kidding me and/or trying to ward off newcomers. Do the mosquitoes carry people away too?

[Time2Travel]

Here in NC we pronounce them "skeeters" and yea we got lots of'em. Not too bad during the day unless it's raining out but at night they will kill most any human not wearing kevlar or deep woods "Off". I can vouch for the tick problem with my 3 week hospital stay due to Rocky Mountain spotted fever back in junior high school that I contracted from a tick bite although in my 43 years I've never ran into another NC'er that had the same disease.

Yellow flies are your true enemy though in a heavily wooded area. Bug spray has little effect on those critters and their bite is vicious.

[box_of_zip_disks]

Originally Posted by stu_stu

Tick season in the fall? You gotta be kidding me and/or trying to ward off newcomers. Do the mosquitoes carry people away too?

Deer ticks are most prevalent around September and October continuing into November. They're not that big a deal unless you're out in the tall weeds or in the woods all day. If you have pets it's important to check them daily. Mosquitos are worse inland in marshy areas. Some of them you can definitely feel in the palm of your hand when you smack 'em.

And yeah, yellow flies are a real nuisance. Then there's the yellow jackets and wasps and chiggers and water moccasins and coral snakes and brown recluses and black widows and so on and so on.

And gators, don't forget the gators.


Also the more trees and shrubs closer to your house the more bugs you'll get in your house during the spring and summer.

[stu_stu]

Thanks guys. Box I thought you might be pulling my leg b/c here it's Spring/early Summer when ticks are worst. Time2travel, your Rocky Mt Spotted fever episode sounds awful. I know that can be fatal if untreated.

I've been reading up on yellow flies. Horribly aggressive and painful. At least w/ horse flies you can hear em coming. Well it seems to me that the coastal wooded properties I've been looking at are relatively inexpensive because the bugs make it miserable to spend much time in the woods most of the year. My dream of wooded acreage on the water may have just gone up in a puff of smoke, no, a puff of yellow flies.

Thank you for the reality check.

[trlhiker]

Don't forget deer flies, they will actually chase you.

[stu_stu]

Originally Posted by trlhiker

Don't forget deer flies, they will actually chase you.

Hi trlhiker. Deer flies and yellow flies are the same. Deer fly - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What do you think about living close to wooded "wetlands"? Would it be miserable?

[Richard Martin]

Originally Posted by stu_stu

What do you think about living close to wooded "wetlands"? Would it be miserable?

You would probably have mosquitos 365 days a year.

When my friends come for a visit there's 2 things I tell them.

1: Pitt County has the most dangerous roads in the state. There are no minor accident out in the country. Any accident will probably require a helicopter or a hearse. People can and do often run stop signs here.

2: Stay out of the woods. You are not at the top of the food chain here. There are critters that would like to take a bit out of you. Red wolves and bears are two of them.

[LRoyal10900]

And don't forget the skeeter hawks!