Range pests

[SKS Ray]

Not the human kind but the tiny black flies that hatch when it warms up.
Anyone else have this happen every year? You're settling in for some late afternoon shooting and black flies are swarming like mosquitos all around you. They get right in your face and are unaffected by bug repelents like OFF or Cutter. It makes for a lousy range trip and seems to last for at least a week.
I haven't seen them yet this year but know its almost time for them to show up.

 

[Chipperman]

They'll probably be out after the next rain shower.

 

[Cledus J. Crabb]

Take my word for it, they've arrived. We just about got carried away by those little buggers last night at a pistol match at Scituate.

 

[theGringo]

They're pretty thick this year around here, too. Pesky little gnats that get in your eyes and up your nose .... nasty. I was battling them at the lake today. They seem to be impervious to all forms of anti-bug juice. We used to have a "Black Fly Day", with a parade and everything, to celebrate their departure ... but I'm not sure it's being held anymore.

Hate them flies.

http://www.tolland-ma.gov/public_documents/FOV1-0001679F/BFD_2005.pdf

 

[Raoul Duke]

They're pretty thick this year around here, too. Pesky little gnats that get in your eyes and up your nose .... nasty. I was battling them at the lake today. They seem to be impervious to all forms of anti-bug juice. We used to have a "Black Fly Day", with a parade and everything, to celebrate their departure ... but I'm not sure it's being held anymore.

Hate them flies.

http://www.tolland-ma.gov/public_documents/FOV1-0001679F/BFD_2005.pdf

Yeah they're all over north western mass as well. Walking home last night w/ the dog and an ice cream cone and they kept landing in it. Damn flies.

 

[dvajda]

I think i'll take them over the swarms of mosquitoes I've been dealing with lately while trying to shoot trap.

 

[Twigg]

Keeps black flies away.

Only problem is you're not gonna be very popular. It really stinks !

Oh, it won't work on mosquitoes either.

 

[Carguy]

Spent the afternoon at the range today with my son and a co-worker...finding what look like large ticks! Not the little bittie ones but about the size of the letter C on your keyboard! Don't knwo if these are dear ticks or something else??? Do these things fly or jump or what?! Never seen or heard of a tick problem there before, usually the mosquito problem like everyone else. My son and his co-worker both found one on themselves at the range...I found one when I striped down at home later! YUCK!

 

[Blitz1]

Spent the afternoon at the range today with my son and a co-worker...finding what look like large ticks! Not the little bittie ones but about the size of the letter C on your keyboard! Don't knwo if these are dear ticks or something else??? Do these things fly or jump or what?! Never seen or heard of a tick problem there before, usually the mosquito problem like everyone else. My son and his co-worker both found one on themselves at the range...I found one when I striped down at home later! YUCK!

Deer ticks are tiny, barely visible what you have are most likely sand ticks, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch in size. Ticks wait on tree branches, bushes, tall grass etc., for something to pass by and brush against it or fall on it.

 

[Blitz1]

Not the human kind but the tiny black flies that hatch when it warms up.
Anyone else have this happen every year? You're settling in for some late afternoon shooting and black flies are swarming like mosquitos all around you. They get right in your face and are unaffected by bug repelents like OFF or Cutter. It makes for a lousy range trip and seems to last for at least a week.
I haven't seen them yet this year but know its almost time for them to show up.

Try using a mosquito head net over a hat.

Like this:

http://www.backcountry.com/store/ST...keyword=&s_kwcid=mosquito head net|1776651224

Not affliated BTW. Of course you may look like a dork, but hey, what the hell.

Blitz1

 

[ephemeratta]

I've eaten a couple fistfuls over the last week and a half. They fly up my nose, in my mouth, in my flippin' ears... can't wait 'til their time is up. Almost killed a short fishing endeavor last week.

 

[clinotus]

Another bitee from W. Mass reporting. They seem to be everywhere and pretty early in the season...I hope this is not foreboding of a brutal summer.

 

[ephemeratta]

Another bitee from W. Mass reporting. They seem to be everywhere and pretty early in the season...I hope this is not foreboding of a brutal summer.

That's my fear. The tick population seemed to spike in days, these flies are chewing me (us) up, and I have no shortage of wasps and other assorted critters already infesting in numbers I find slightly discouraging.

 

[packingungal]

I feel better now about love bugs here...

 

[Dirtypacman]

I was at the range last night and was swatting the little buggers away.

 

[JonJ]

I'll take the bugs over snow and ice.

 

[Mike-Mike]

keep a black powder revolver around and shoot it off every 10 min or so. You won't have any bugs. We found this out by accident one time at the range.

 

[ephemeratta]

keep a black powder revolver around and shoot it off every 10 min or so. You won't have any bugs. We found this out by accident one time at the range.

+1 rep to you for finding a way to use firearms as a bug repellent without making yourself a candidate for the Darwin awards.

 

[zerodown]

The may flies are horrible. Been helping a buddy build a shed this week after work and it seems as though we attract every damn bug in the area. It sucks trying to run a framing gun with dive bombers constantly going in your eyes, mouth, nose, and ears.

 

[Dick]

The annoying little buggers are the classic New England black fly, Family Simulidae. Any bug juice containing a goodly amount of DEET (which is n,n-diethylmetatoluamide in the old chemistry naming system, but called something else I can't remember now - same chemical) - which includes OFF and Cutters, as well as others - will work on them or any other bug that hunts with chemical sensors, unlike deer flies or greenhead flies that hunt by sight. The problem is that black flies and mosquitos, among others, have two types of receptors, one that works at a distance so they can find you and one that works up close and gives them the signal to bite you. DEET only works on the up-close one. So what happens is they can still hover around and annoy you but they don't get the final chemical cue that tells them you're something good to eat.

 

[Blitz1]

The annoying little buggers are the classic New England black fly, Family Simulidae. Any bug juice containing a goodly amount of DEET (which is n,n-diethylmetatoluamide in the old chemistry naming system, but called something else I can't remember now - same chemical) - which includes OFF and Cutters, as well as others - will work on them or any other bug that hunts with chemical sensors, unlike deer flies or greenhead flies that hunt by sight. The problem is that black flies and mosquitos, among others, have two types of receptors, one that works at a distance so they can find you and one that works up close and gives them the signal to bite you. DEET only works on the up-close one. So what happens is they can still hover around and annoy you but they don't get the final chemical cue that tells them you're something good to eat.

Thats a good piece of info, I never knew that. Thanks.

Black flies and mosquitos are dangerous. They should all be banned!!

 

[theGringo]

The annoying little buggers are the classic New England black fly, Family Simulidae. Any bug juice containing a goodly amount of DEET (which is n,n-diethylmetatoluamide in the old chemistry naming system, but called something else I can't remember now - same chemical) - which includes OFF and Cutters, as well as others - will work on them or any other bug that hunts with chemical sensors, unlike deer flies or greenhead flies that hunt by sight. The problem is that black flies and mosquitos, among others, have two types of receptors, one that works at a distance so they can find you and one that works up close and gives them the signal to bite you. DEET only works on the up-close one. So what happens is they can still hover around and annoy you but they don't get the final chemical cue that tells them you're something good to eat.

I was corrected one time, a few years ago, when I called these nasty bugs "black flies". An acquaintance, and experienced hiker (triple crown) and outdoor/travel writer told me that they are not "true black flies", but rather gnats.

Since then I have been researching the matter, but I'm still stumped over the entomology. The pests we see here don't seem to be biting flies (at least I've never been bit by one). They just swarm mercilessly and are a respiratory hazard if ever there was one. OSHA should classify them as "nuisance dust" and establish an eight-hour TWA.

 

[clinotus]

The annoying little buggers are the classic New England black fly, Family Simulidae. Any bug juice containing a goodly amount of DEET (which is n,n-diethylmetatoluamide in the old chemistry naming system, but called something else I can't remember now - same chemical) - which includes OFF and Cutters, as well as others - will work on them or any other bug that hunts with chemical sensors, unlike deer flies or greenhead flies that hunt by sight. The problem is that black flies and mosquitos, among others, have two types of receptors, one that works at a distance so they can find you and one that works up close and gives them the signal to bite you. DEET only works on the up-close one. So what happens is they can still hover around and annoy you but they don't get the final chemical cue that tells them you're something good to eat.

Learn something new every day. Thanks for that information.

 

[ephemeratta]

I was corrected one time, a few years ago, when I called these nasty bugs "black flies". An acquaintance, and experienced hiker (triple crown) and outdoor/travel writer told me that they are not "true black flies", but rather gnats.

Since then I have been researching the matter, but I'm still stumped over the entomology. The pests we see here don't seem to be biting flies (at least I've never been bit by one). They just swarm mercilessly and are a respiratory hazard if ever there was one. OSHA should classify them as "nuisance dust" and establish an eight-hour TWA.

I have gnats swarming all over and, as you've experienced, they don't bite. They're just the insect equivalent of asbestos. But, I also have black flies that swarm similarly and do bite. And, they suck(figuratively and literally.)

Talking to my neighbor this morning I came away with a little info about his boat and more than a dozen bites.

I live near a stream and a lake and apparently these little munchin' b@strds breed in the stream.
Hey at least we don't have bot flies

BTW, just for demography's sake, I'm in eastern Mass near Nashua.

 

[Dick]

I was corrected one time, a few years ago, when I called these nasty bugs "black flies". An acquaintance, and experienced hiker (triple crown) and outdoor/travel writer told me that they are not "true black flies", but rather gnats.

Since then I have been researching the matter, but I'm still stumped over the entomology. The pests we see here don't seem to be biting flies (at least I've never been bit by one). They just swarm mercilessly and are a respiratory hazard if ever there was one. OSHA should classify them as "nuisance dust" and establish an eight-hour TWA.

Oh yeah, if that's what the OP was referring to then I agree - they're gnats and gnats aren't "black flies." The biting black flies are bigger and crawl on you rather than just swarm around. They also have white markings on their legs that are pretty obvious while they're crawling around looking for a good place to chow down, so they're called "white stockings" in some places. You may have noticed that when the biting black flies first appear (like for the first week or two) they don't really seem to bite much. I've been told that's because the males hatch first and they don't do the biting, it's the females that come along later. I can't independently confirm that story, but it does fit with my experience.