[veggieck]

Someone please tell me how bad the black bugs are in Vermont? Right now I live in an area where the green heads and mosquitos are so bad that it's impossible to work in the yard, take a walk, or do anything outside no matter what you're wearing or what insect repellent you have on. We spend our spring/summers in a screened in porch. We're looking for an area where we can enjoy our yard and outdoor activities. Is it a regional thing in Vermont? Are the bugs so bad that it'll force you inside? I thought Vermont would be great for outdoor activities in the summer but, it there's a massive bug issue, I guess not.

[GypsySoul22]

Black flies are not so good. I never heard of them or experienced them until we visited Concord, NH in early summer 07 and then moved up here to VT later that summer.

They are annoying!! They go for your eyes and mouth. They are kind of like small gnats.

Other than that, I don't recall any mosquito problems. (not like where I was in NY). Ticks can be pretty bad but there are medicines for the dog for that. Anywhere in the Northeast you have tick problems to some extent.

We spend a lot of time outside and the black flies are the worst. I don't recall seeing any gypsy moths or inch worms here like in NY, either. I don't like bugs very much.

[FourWands]

Ticks are easily dealt with with the help of a couple of guinea fowl. They are noisy but they LOVE ticks. Mosquitos, on the other hand, are lousy if you are near water. They are BIG suckers (no pun intended).

[veggieck]

Boy... that's not what I wanted to hear... but thanks, I needed to know.

[NYLIER]

Originally Posted by FourWands

Ticks are easily dealt with with the help of a couple of guinea fowl. They are noisy but they LOVE ticks. Mosquitos, on the other hand, are lousy if you are near water. They are BIG suckers (no pun intended).

We had almost 100 guinea fowl at one time and we still had a lot of ticks. In fact, my husband and one of my dogs has lyme disease and I just found out that my other dog has some other tick disease. I think ticks are becoming immune to Frontline Plus! I saw one of my birds eat a mouse and a frog wouldn't stand a chance. They are a great bird to have on any farm. Don't waste your money on a security system for your home....just get guineas!! Very interesting bird.

The flies are terrible, especially hard on the animals. My two steer are covered with black flies in the summer. I spray them down but it doesn't really help. The only time I saw mosquitos was last year and I think that is because of the virus that has killed so many bats.

[OhBeeHave]

I learned the hard way about black flies. My husband and children find them a minor nuisance. I, on the other hand, have to wear bug off clothing, sprays and a head net. My face swelled up terribly after the black flies nibbled at me on Mothers Day a few years ago.

[MistyVT]

On a lighter note! Bugs aren't much of a problem this time of the year. (o=

[square peg]

No they aren't. For about 6 months there are no bugs to speak of. Black flies are present as soon as the leaves come out in the spring. For the northeast kingdom, where I live, that's usually early to mid May. But they're gone in a month. deer flies - the ones that circle around your head - aren't around in large numbers. But it takes only one or two to make your day. They will circle the highest point of your body. If you make a fist and hold it over your head, they'll circle that. THEN they're easy to whack. They're not as fast as they seem.

[FourWands]

Stupid question but are black flies the same as "no-see-ums"?

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by MistyVT

On a lighter note! Bugs aren't much of a problem this time of the year. (o=

Just those really weird, alien-looking bugs that look like a cross between a cricket and a beetle. They roam our house in winter. Saw a Valley News article that showed a photo of one of them with a headline something like, "What's that bug?" Apparently lots of folks wonder. I think the article said that they go semi-dormant in winter and don't even eat, that they lodge in our warm houses and leave when the weather warms. Which is good, because I guess when they're livelier they bite! We leave them be. Even our cats (who attack anything that moves, sometimes even each other) leave them be.