How are the bugs in Maine?? (Houlton: how much, buying, living)

[animal0671]

Ticks? Mosquitos? biting flys? I know every state has em but what are they like up there? Are any of them worse then others or only certain times of year. Im thinking of buying a cabin somewhat deep in the woods for hunting/fishing just wanted some feedback on how bad the little critters are. Any input apreciated.

[RANGER.101ST]

Originally Posted by animal0671

Ticks? Mosquitos? biting flys? I know every state has em but what are they like up there? Are any of them worse then others or only certain times of year. Im thinking of buying a cabin somewhat deep in the woods for hunting/fishing just wanted some feedback on how bad the little critters are. Any input apreciated.

the other day.
i see a 3 1/2 lb skeeter being chased by a tick that had two black flies as wing men.
the skeeters and biting flies can be bad if its a wet year.
not so bad in a dry year.
the ticks are just the opposite they need hot weather.
so it all depends on the weather.

[Maine Writer]

They're worse than usual this year because of the rain. Maine Nature News runs a black fly report from some time in May until usually July. When it's updated this week it will have a report for September.

[Acadianlion]

Originally Posted by animal0671

Ticks? Mosquitos? biting flys? I know every state has em but what are they like up there? Are any of them worse then others or only certain times of year. Im thinking of buying a cabin somewhat deep in the woods for hunting/fishing just wanted some feedback on how bad the little critters are. Any input apreciated.

Back during the cold war, the Air Force moved a fighter/interceptor squadron out of Maine because their squadron of Interceptor Black Flies were so powerful that no Russian bomber could have penetrated US air space from Canada.

There are few things more frightening than the sound of a Maine Black Fly going supersonic.

As proof I cite that we never had a Russian bomber fly into the US over Maine territory during the cold war.

[Connecticut Pam]

Originally Posted by animal0671

Ticks? Mosquitos? biting flys? I know every state has em but what are they like up there? Are any of them worse then others or only certain times of year. Im thinking of buying a cabin somewhat deep in the woods for hunting/fishing just wanted some feedback on how bad the little critters are. Any input apreciated.

Haven't lived in Maine for awhile but I am here to tell you the bugs up there are VICIOUS. I use to have an allergic reaction to the blackflies and had to wear so much "fly dope", "fly spray"....that I walked around shining like a beacon from the layer of chemicals it took to keep them off of me..either that or head to Houlton for a shot of adrenaline to bring the swelling down. I don't know how the local folks live with them but they do. They have all sorts of remedies to keep them away that seem to work. Another bug they have up there is called a "No-See-EM"...meaning they are so tiny that the darn things squeeze through screens on windows. When I was living up there, some of the old timers use to put cheese cloth over their screens to keep these "No-See-Ems" out of the house.

Times have changed, methods of keeping bugs away have changed but keep in mind, you are talking about moving way back into the woods and I don't care what state you live in if you are in the woods deep enough the bugs are going to "carry you away"...be prepared.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Mosquitos just drill for blood. Black flies rip out chunks of flesh and go away with them. My boys used to say. "I see a no seeum; See um?"

Seriously though, black flies appear around the middle of May up here. Like the foliage it varies by area. When they start feeding they will be very active for about a month. Then they are pretty much gone. Mosquitos follow the black flies in June and July. Then in August we have deer flies.

There are days when we see no insects. When the humidity is low they simply can't fly. They need dampness to keep their wings lubricated. Hey, I'm not making this up. That's why mosquitos come out in the evening. As the temperature drops the humidity rises and they come out to feed.

Where else can you learn stuff like this?

[Dreamy46]

How much of a difference is there with these insects in the towns right on the coast versus the inland areas?

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Dreamy46

How much of a difference is there with these insects in the towns right on the coast versus the inland areas?

Quite often it's worse on the coast than inland. While inland areas will get more blackflies than the coast there tends to be more mosquitoes and midges(no see ums) on the coast especially around dawn and dusk. There are also green headed horse flies on the coast that can really drive you nuts if there happens to be alot of them in an area.
A big problem facing Maine this year has been Eastern Equine Encepholitis. A mosquito spread disease which can kill the horse, bird or human infected by it. So far in the State 14 horses and 125 pheasants have died from EEE this summer.

[t_t1393]

Originally Posted by animal0671

I know every state has em but what are they like up there?

Wrong i have lived in Oklahoma my whole life and i have never heard of Blackflies i never knew flies could bite!

[t_t1393]

Besides horseflies can bite sorry