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3. No-See-Ums

Are Ceratopogonidae multi generational throughout spring, summer, and fall? I am plagued by them at my cabin particularly when it is warm with no breeze and I break a sweat while mowing the lawn or working around the cabin. They seem to prefer to land inside my ears or on my brow and they are so persistent in their desire to draw blood I have to smoke cigars so I can keep a cloud of smoke around me. Why aren't they a nuisance when I'm in the drift boat?

I don't know what they are, but I have the same problem when walking around the yard working. It seems that they live in the grass and you kick them up moving around. The more you work the worse it gets!

Cant explain the boat thing other than there is no grass there :) CJ

Ceratopogonidae have a 2-6 week life cycle, so another generation would emerge at that approximate frequency, except that their final instar larvae overwinter, and then pupate once the water has re-warmed sufficiently.

Roger wrote;



Thank you for the informative response. They pester me from my first trip to the cabin in late April and continue to do so until I close the cabin in mid October.

Is high percentage DEET an effective product to keep them at bay?

My understanding is that nothing is effective against them. However once ravaged, I have read that Burt's Bees Diaper Ointment is a miracle cure. :-)

Recently saw a very positive review by a flyfisher of the following product:

http://allnaturalrepellent.com/prd_byebye.html

I don't know if it can be as effective as they claim, but would be interested to hear if somebody tries it.

Louis,

I like the "carpe insectae"...:)

Matt...One night years back during the Hex, I was actually run off the river by them. I was losing my mind. Swinging my hat at them and cursing them...I think I wandered into a mating swarm...I trespassed off the river and practicaly ran till I hit the road...In town I was in a 7-11 and the guy behind the counter asked if I was ok...The area where my shirt was open near the collar looked like I had been hit by a shotguun blast...There were so many bites.

Spence

Spence-

Let me get this straight. You wandered into a Hex mating swarm, and were actually "bitten" by them? :-)

You think that sounds bad? I was once pummeled by a March Brown spinner fall, still have dents in my hat from it! CJ

No! I was fishing the Hex hatch and wandered into a mating swarm of biting bugs...Had to flee the river and hardly fished that evening.

It was the roughist night I can remember regarding my never ending battle with the biters that labor to make my night time angling experiences, hell!

By "them" I meant no-see-ums...They were the topic, no? :)

Spence

:-)

You know Roger, Ever since my first wife left me in 1979, I've always been in need of a good editor...Thanks for making me tow-the-line. :)

Spence

Who, me? :-)