Black Flies

If there's one thing that can ruin a walk in the woods on a beautiful June day in the Adirondacks, it's a swarm of black flies.  Persistent in their search for a nice warm mammal's blood to feed on, black flies have plagued visitors to the park for generations.  In spite of, or perhaps because of, their role as the park's most maddening nuisance, these biting flies have, for some, even become valued as a part of the challenge of survival in the Adirondacks.

Accounts of the seemingly unrelenting presence of black flies during the months of May and June weren't always believed.  In his book Adventures in the Wilderness, William H. H. Murray discredits reporters' references to the black fly problem with the assertion that the black fly is "one of the most harmless and least vexatious of the insect family," and that "The black fly, as pictured by 'our Adirondack correspondent,' like the Gorgon of old, is a myth--a monster existing only in men's feverish imaginations" (Murray 56).  Like many assertions made by Murray, however, this is far from the truth.

Female black flies bite large mammals, including humans, in order to get the protein needed for their fertilized eggs to develop.  Many of the flies prefer to bite larger animals than humans, and will buzz around the head and neck of a person without biting, creating the swarming effect that no amount of swatting ever seems to disperse (Kalinowski).  The severity of the bites themselves can vary.  Some people face only a small mark with little irritation, but others find themselves covered in swollen red welts that can get to be the size of a golf ball (Hill).

Although there are ways to avoid the worst of these pests, black fly season in the Adirondacks is generally a low point for visitors to the park.  But, just as kayakers hurl themselves over waterfalls most would see as obstacles and winter campers avoid heated cabins in favor of the challenge of keeping warm on their own, some in the Adirondacks have embraced the black flies.  The Black Fly Challenge, a roughly 40 mile mountain bike race between Inlet and Indian Lake, takes place annually on the second Saturday in June--the peak of black fly season.  The timing of the race means the economy of the area gets a boost during a time that otherwise would be lacking in tourists, and gives the race an added challenge that attracts hundreds of racers a year (Scranton).  Some of the more athletic members of my family completed the race in 2014 and 2015, and they attest to the impact of the flies on the race--if you pedal fast enough the flies don't bother you!

 Sources:

• Hill, Catherine and John MacDonald.  "Black Flies."  Purdue University.  n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.
• Kalinowski, Tom.  "Bug Season:  Some Tips for Avoiding Black Flies."  Adirondack Almanac.  Adirondack Explorer.  20 May 2013.  Web.  4 April 2016.
• Murray, William H. H..  Adventures in the Wilderness.  The Adirondack Museum/Syracuse University Press. Print.
• Scranton, Dave.  "The Birth of the Black Fly Challenge."  Black Fly Challenge.  May 2015.  Web.  4 April 2016.
• https://trailtodd.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/natureblackflies-01-blackflies1.jpg

Bug Season: Some Tips For Avoiding Black Flies

Bug Season: Some Tips For Avoiding Black Flies

Bug Season: Some Tips For Avoiding Black Flies