June is peak black fly season in Vermont, that special time of year when swarms of black flies want your blood, and they want it bad. Whether you work or play outside, are human, feline, canine, or bovine, June will have an effect on you. If you are a Vermont resident, chances are you have strong feelings about black flies, but you don't let them get in your way of taking advantage of our glorious summer weather.
Landscape architect Ken Mills describes his way of dealing with black flies in one word: "DEET." DEET, straight up and in the bright orange dropper bottles, that's how he manages the bugs when he's out on an installation in Chittenden County. In addition, no matter what the temperature, he wears a long-sleeved shirt and jeans and applies DEET to his clothing and a bit to his neck and hairline. He's fully aware of the controversy around the safety of DEET and its toxic ingredients, but he cites the many studies that have proven that nothing else keeps the bugs away as well.
"I'd rather take on the low level health risks of DEET over a long period of time than be bitten by that one terrible diseased bug," says Mills. He also showers twice a day. "What else can you do?" he wonders. Even if you are just fine with DEET, you might want to consider putting it on your clothes, not directly on your skin, and use a mild strength on children, never putting it directly on their skin.
Another option is to stay clear of DEET. . . and bathing, too. "Don't be the nicest smelling person in the group," suggests Dave Hardy, the Green Mountain Club's director of field programs. Hardy supervises workers on the Long Trail and has for over a decade. He oversees both the Long Trail Patrol, which builds and maintains the trail, and the mountain caretakers, who work on popular summits. He offers tried-and-true advice for those who are lucky enough to work and live outdoors, admitting that his approach might not cut it with the general public: don't shower very often; eat lots of garlic; and don't wash your hair much during the season. A more pleasant approach is to use essential oils such as peppermint, patchouli and lavender, which work fairly well at repelling bugs. Try rubbing a combination of them on your cap and shirt collar. Like Mills, Hardy encourages everyone to cover up with long sleeves and pants but is quick to add, "Don't hike as fast so you don't overheat." Over the years he's found, "There's always someone who gets eaten alive and that's the sacrifice he makes to the benefit of everyone else who's with him." Think of it as taking one for the team.
While the motion of casting a line temporarily keeps black flies away, "they're always around," reports fly fisherman Chris Lynch, of Jeffersonville's Green Mountain Trout fitters. People who love to fish have to consider their black fly repellent options, one of which has a downside specific to this recreational group. "DEET is really bad for fly lines. It eats away at them," says Lynch. Many fly fishing enthusiasts smoke cigars on the river to keep unwanted flies at bay.
Beyond what DEET may do to your fly line, some believe that the chemical is toxic and dangerous but don't like the smell of pure essential oils. Some folks go for DEET-free bug repellent alternatives like Bygonebugs, Green Ban, Natrapel, or Burt's Bees Natural Insect Repellent, which use citronella or other essential less-potent-smelling oils as repellants.
"Black flies are a part of life and are why most Northern Europeans didn't settle north of the St. Lawrence River," reminds Hardy. "Bugs are part of the ecology and a necessary evil, but are short-lived. We humans forget about them every year, until black fly season returns," he says, and begins to reminisce about a day in 1982 when he was thru-hiking the Long Trail.
"It was day 18 without a shower. . . from Montclair Glenn going up the steep stretch that leads to the Camel's Hump Summit," he recalls. "The bright sunny June weather had the black flies out in swarms. By the time I got to the top I was a bloody mess." But at the summit came the most memorable moment of the trek. "There was a beautiful sunset. . . I haven't forgotten that," says Hardy. The no-shower-defense didn't work against the black flies that time, but at least their presence (and memory) took second seat to a beautiful evening spent on one of Vermont's highest peaks.
Call for black fly Haikus
Turn your black fly season angst into art.
Most Vermont residents don't let black flies prevent them from getting outdoors and doing things they love. But that doesn't mean there's much love for the black fly. To help you work through some of your black fly angst, the GMC is sponsoring a black fly Haiku contest. Here are some ideas to help get your creative juices flowing. Write a black fly haiku poem that: gives advice for surviving black flies on a hike; offers remedies for treating black fly bites; describes an experience you had with black flies on the Long Trail; or expresses your true feelings about black flies.
Hint: Because GMC is a hiking club, entries that relate directly to a hiker's black fly experience will be more likely to win over our judges. All entrees will be posted on our Web site. Submissions are due June 30, 2007. Send them to: Black Fly Haiku, Green Mountain Club, 4711 Waterbury-Stowe Road, Waterbury Center, VT, 05677.
For more info and contest details go to www.greenmountainclub.org. Look at the right-hand news column.
- Login or register to post comments
- 1781 reads
- send to friend
