The Buzz Is: It's Black Fly Season In New York State

Now that the warm weather months are here, most of us are finally getting out of the house to enjoy the great outdoors.

Camping season began for me on May 1st, and you know I was there on day one to open up camp and get my travel trailer that travels nowhere, ready for the season.

Now that I've had a few weeks to get everything back in its place at camp, I can relax and take it easy. Well, except for those pesky Black flies that seem to be everywhere this spring.

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I first noticed them buzzing around my patio, and then a bunch of them sunbathing on a small wooden bridge that I built to go over a water ditch in my yard. And just this week, I noticed plenty of black flies hanging out on the upper front of my camper. What is going on?

Well, according to the website Adirondack.Net:

Black fly season typically starts in the middle of May and runs through late June or early July. The flies are most active several hours after sunrise and an hour or two before sunset due to the humidity of the air and the position of the sun.

While the Adirondacks of New York feel the wrath of these flies during this time of year, the rest of the state is not immune. The best time to avoid these pesky flies is during a dry, sunny midday. That's not always convenient for our wet, cloudy climate! And who gets to take off during the midday? Okay, I'm just venting here.

Adirondack.net notes that while the high season for Black Flies persists, stay away from trails that run along streams, (black flies lay their eggs in these areas), and if going out on the water, lakes and ponds are best, since black files tend to avoid them.

Also, windy days are not good for Black Flies to hunt you down as a snack. For more tips, including ways to avoid and repel Black Flies, visit the Adirondack.net website.