Mosquitoes and Alaska (Anchorage, Juneau and, Fairbanks: houses, movie theater, live)

[mechengineer]

It seems that Alaska has a bad reputation regarding Mosquitoes.

On my last trip to Alaska, (spent mostly on the Kenai) in ten days, I got maybe 2 or 3 bites. Not much different then my own back yard in rural upstate NY.

But, my brother in-law who lived in Fairbanks for several years, said that he always had to wear DEET every time he left his house, or else he'd get pretty chewed up.

So from an in-stater's perspective, what is the truth about mosquitoes and the greater Anchorage area?

Is the man-eating Alaskan mosquito a myth that Alaskans keep going to discourage outsiders from moving in, or will they drain you like Dracula when you are doing yard work.

[Rance]

They can get real bad on the north slope. But it can be bad anywhere. Seems like a wetter or drier season makes a difference. Around my place the first of the year are huge. Then as summer progresses they tend to get smaller and harder to hit!

[Alaskagrownsince46]

Mosquito problems vary a lot by time and place. They are worst near wetlands, and forests, during the evening, and when the wind is still, and in the shade.

At my house in midtown Anchorage I can go out in my yard any time and never be bothered by Mosquitoes. My girlfriends yard in South Anchorage is pretty bad because there is a dense forest behind it, and there is more nearby wetlands.

Also, some people have body chemistry that attacts mosquitos.

[Alaskan_Adventurer]

Hmm. Out mosquitos can be pretty nasty at times. If you are in the bush, I highly recommend that you use deet and wear a long sleeved shirt. I remember a time when my father and I were looking for a specific lake out around Willow. We got a bit lost for maybe 30 minutes. I bet I walked out with 100+ bites in that short amount of time, lol. Yeah, they can be nasty.

[mechengineer]

Thanks for the replies.

It is about what I figured.

In town=OK, out in the bush = bad.

Farther Up-State NY (Adirondack region) we get very bad black flies in the lake country. You litterally have to duct tape your sweat shiirt to your wrists and you pants to your shoes to keep them out.

[CandyApple]

I've never run from a bear (and I've seen a few- not in town, though!), but I've run from mosquitoes. There was one time in Fairbanks I was walking in a small wooded area by the movie theater, and was literally surrounded by a cloud of mosquitoes. I ended up inhaling a few, they were so bad.

If you walk fast, run, or bike, they don't get you as bad (or at all), but then you can't really sit and look at the view if you're always scurrying.

As said by OP, mosquito levels vary. Here in Anchorage there's pavement and houses- hence fewer mosquitoes. If you go to the green areas, in town or out (and isn't the natural beauty of Alaska why one would want to move here?), you get hit.

Now, if it were only a few mosquitoes at a time, that'd be fine by me. Heck, I'd be nice and blow them away instead of killing them. But you get LOTS at a time. If you want to do anything outdoors in the summer, you must prepare to deal with those creatures, either by covering yourself with poison, running in fear, or whining like a little girl. I've done all three.

Is the man-eating Alaskan mosquito a myth that Alaskans keep going to discourage outsiders from moving in, or will they drain you like Dracula when you are doing yard work.

It's not a myth. Mosquitoes eat people, it's just that they only eat a little bit of you (I'd rather be eaten by a mosquito than a bear). Now, draining you like Dracula would be an exaggeration. Even a cloud of mosquitoes won't leave you feeling woozy. You'll just be itchy, that's all. Plus you'll have the unpleasant biting sensations.

[sommer6]

Is anyone here familiar with the mosquito problem around coastal areas like Juneau and more spacifically Sitka. I would think that the wind off the ocean would help keep the pests at a limited number..... Anyone know what it's like ?? We are planning a move there this time next year as long as nothing major happens to stop us, I'd love to hear from someone in the Sitka or Juneau areas ????

[sommer6]

sorry about spelling errors, typing to fast to catch !!

[Rance]

I spent a year working for the forest service in Wrangell and Petersburg, and on Kuiu Island. Even getting back in the woods did not seem to bad for bugs. It did rain alot which may have put a damper on them. We've always put up bird houses around the house and the yard for the cliff swallows, which seems to make a pretty good difference in the bug population around the house.

[guvjim]

I was stationed in Galena in 1955, 56 and part of 57 and I can tell you that mosquitoes were really bad in those days. we would wear mosquito head nets and jackets and they would be all over you. Of course we used repellent, but back then I don't think Deet was heard of. But yeah, they were bad.