It's that time of year. Unfortunately for tourists, black flies also love beautiful weather. When it is cold or wet they don't fly. The heat brings them out of the ground, where they hide to stay cool.
They were a little ahead of schedule this year, and so some people were bothered by them on the Victoria Day weekend. I was bothered a bit by what I discovered afterward. One guest sprayed DEET on the windows of the cabin, to kill the flies that went inside with him.
Black flies do not bite once they are indoors. They go to the windows, to the light, trying to escape. If they do not escape, they die when the sun goes down, unlike mosquitoes. Spraying windows with DEET is
1. unnecessary, because the flies will die anyway, and won't bite you indoors
2. harmful, because any DEET that is oversprayed on the paint or varnish eats through it. Many a piece of furniture here has been ruined due to bug dope bottles being parked upon them without being cleaned off. Paint will not stick to the surface again, so repainting is a useless exercise.
3. difficult to clean off the windows. DEET does not reduce easily (see above, about ruining furniture).
4. toxic to the person sleeping/staying in the room. I thought people came here to get away from pollution?
DEET was developed for use by the American military in malarial countries. It says on the bottle not to put it on your skin, only your clothing. As skin 'eats', understand that you are ingesting this very toxic chemical. 'Overuse' can cause nerve damage. In children, it has been shown to lead to permanent brain damage (multiple studies). Even the official government information says to wash it off once you come indoors, and do not spray in an enclosed space!
A much more effective bug dope is olive oil (or any other oil, pick one). Black flies smother in it; they cannot bite through it. Instead of being covered in bites at the end of the day, you will be covered in dead black flies. Olive oil, coconut oil, almond oil are all good for the hair and skin. The down side is that you will burn faster in the sun.
Black flies are attracted by CO2 (your exhalation, your idling vehicle), colour (white, yellow, and khaki are least attractive, and so the best to wear in this environment), and heat (your body and vehicle). Oh, also any perfumed personal hygiene products are a HUGE attractant. Leave the smelly soaps and shampoos at home. Use ivory soap, or wash with straight baking soda instead. Wear a white hat. Black, brown, purple and navy blue are for the city at this time of year. Purple stirs up stinging insects as well, like bees and hornets.
Black flies love thick dark hair. They think you are a moose!
If you eat sweet foods, biting bugs will find you more attractive. The absolute worst fruit to eat during black fly season is the BANANA. It makes you irresistible to the little black monsters.
If you use these simple bug management techniques, you will not only have a better time in the great outdoors, you will also save a substantial amount of money, and be healthier in the long run. You may not have side effects immediately, but with enough exposure to toxins, you may be miserable in your old age.
For more info on DEET
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/chemicals/deet.htm
http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/a/aa042703a.htm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002763.htm
http://www.naturalnews.com/029136_deet_toxic.html
They were a little ahead of schedule this year, and so some people were bothered by them on the Victoria Day weekend. I was bothered a bit by what I discovered afterward. One guest sprayed DEET on the windows of the cabin, to kill the flies that went inside with him.
Black flies do not bite once they are indoors. They go to the windows, to the light, trying to escape. If they do not escape, they die when the sun goes down, unlike mosquitoes. Spraying windows with DEET is
1. unnecessary, because the flies will die anyway, and won't bite you indoors
2. harmful, because any DEET that is oversprayed on the paint or varnish eats through it. Many a piece of furniture here has been ruined due to bug dope bottles being parked upon them without being cleaned off. Paint will not stick to the surface again, so repainting is a useless exercise.
3. difficult to clean off the windows. DEET does not reduce easily (see above, about ruining furniture).
4. toxic to the person sleeping/staying in the room. I thought people came here to get away from pollution?
DEET was developed for use by the American military in malarial countries. It says on the bottle not to put it on your skin, only your clothing. As skin 'eats', understand that you are ingesting this very toxic chemical. 'Overuse' can cause nerve damage. In children, it has been shown to lead to permanent brain damage (multiple studies). Even the official government information says to wash it off once you come indoors, and do not spray in an enclosed space!
A much more effective bug dope is olive oil (or any other oil, pick one). Black flies smother in it; they cannot bite through it. Instead of being covered in bites at the end of the day, you will be covered in dead black flies. Olive oil, coconut oil, almond oil are all good for the hair and skin. The down side is that you will burn faster in the sun.
Black flies are attracted by CO2 (your exhalation, your idling vehicle), colour (white, yellow, and khaki are least attractive, and so the best to wear in this environment), and heat (your body and vehicle). Oh, also any perfumed personal hygiene products are a HUGE attractant. Leave the smelly soaps and shampoos at home. Use ivory soap, or wash with straight baking soda instead. Wear a white hat. Black, brown, purple and navy blue are for the city at this time of year. Purple stirs up stinging insects as well, like bees and hornets.
Black flies love thick dark hair. They think you are a moose!
If you eat sweet foods, biting bugs will find you more attractive. The absolute worst fruit to eat during black fly season is the BANANA. It makes you irresistible to the little black monsters.
If you use these simple bug management techniques, you will not only have a better time in the great outdoors, you will also save a substantial amount of money, and be healthier in the long run. You may not have side effects immediately, but with enough exposure to toxins, you may be miserable in your old age.
For more info on DEET
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/chemicals/deet.htm
http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/a/aa042703a.htm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002763.htm
http://www.naturalnews.com/029136_deet_toxic.html
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