Outdoors
The BDN outdoors section brings readers into the woods, waters and wild places of Maine. It features stories on hunting, fishing, wildlife, conservation and recreation, told by people who live these experiences. This section emphasizes hands-on knowledge, field reports, issues, trends and the traditions that define life outside in Maine. Read more Outdoors stories here.
People actually plan their vacations to Maine around black fly season. Meaning, they try to avoid it when they’re out. A person once asked me the specific date they emerge, like it’s the same throughout the state or every year.
That’s crazy.
And also — good luck with that — because once the black flies back off a bit, there’s mosquitoes, no-see-ums, deer flies and horse flies to deal with. There’s always something.
But I get it. I get welts from bites, and I’ll have scars that are visible until the next spring.
However, to avoid a beautiful time of year to be outside in our state is a major loss. So in my opinion, suck it up and get on with it.
You can expect them to be out from mid-May to mid-June. If it’s warm, they can be out in early May.
Location matters, too. They can persist throughout the summer and early fall in certain areas with clear, running water, whereas the coast doesn’t notice them as much.
A friend of mine lives on the ocean and doesn’t have black flies at his home. There’s a constant breeze, but go a half-mile up the road, he said, and you’re eaten alive.
Similarly, I hiked Katahdin on June 1 a few years back. The black flies were relentless until I got above treeline, and the breeze took care of them.
So what works to prevent them?
Don’t bother with anything DEET. It doesn’t work. I’ve also tried different oils and a Thermacell, and those don’t work either — at least not for black flies. Lemon eucalyptus oils in a spray smell nice, but it’s not aggressive enough to prevent bites.
And don’t bother with a head net. Not only can those little bastards crawl under it, your vision is impaired. And if the net moves in any way to lay flat against your body, they will find that spot and bite you.
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Get a product with picaridin. The first time I used it was in Avon Skin So Soft wipes. They worked great, but they’re expensive and wear off quickly. Currently I’m toting Sawyer and Ranger Ready insect sprays.
While picaridin is a repellent, permethrin actually kills insects. I recently used Sawyer’s permethrin spray for my boots, a pair of hunting pants and a jacket. If you have something you regularly wear outside, I’d suggest using this in combination with a picaridin spray.
That’s it.
The list of products that actually repel black flies is short. You can do other things like wearing a hat, tucking in your clothes and wearing light clothing, but that’s not going to stop a swarm in front of your face. And you can smoke a cigar while fishing, but it only helps so much.
Good luck out there.