Gone East

The Black Flies are quiet today.

[Summarized from www.ultimate.com. Full link at end of this item.]

"New Hampshire is home to approximately 40 species of black flies. Of these species, only 4 or 5 are considered to be significant human biters or annoying. In some cases, black flies may not bite but are extremely annoying as they swarm about the head or body. Only the females bite and fortunately most species feed on birds or other animals...

"Black fly species in New Hampshire exhibit two types of life cycles. One type overwinters stage in the egg stage. The eggs remain submerged in streams over the winter and hatch in spring when water temperatures reach about 40° to 50°F... [The second appear] in early spring when water temperatures reach about 37° to 38°F...

"Black flies are active only during the day. They do not bite at night. Activity peaks tend to occur around 9:00 to 11:00 AM and again from 4:00 to 7:00 in the late afternoon and early evening, or until the suns falls below the horizon. They tend to be most active on humid, cloudy days and just before storms.

"Proper clothing offers good protection against black fly bites... Light colors such as orange, yellow and light blue are less attractive to black flies than dark ones such as green, brown and red."

www.ultimate.com/washington/wla/blackfly/