Black flies....

[Valleygolfer]

Is anyone else dealing with these in the noreast? I have been getting so slaughtered that I don't even want to go play....

[ScT1]

They can get really bad up there. That's why I try to keep a can of insect repellent handy, because they seem to love me. I once up did a 10 mile run in a park up in that neck of the woods in July and got nearly driven crazy over the last 2 miles of the run as they began to feast on my head. The person I was running with said there was this cloud of them just chasing after me those last miles. It made me run faster up until the point I ran out of juice on my legs.

[Valleygolfer]

  ScT1 said:

Originally Posted by ScT1

They can get really bad up there. That's why I try to keep a can of insect repellent handy, because they seem to love me. I once up did a 10 mile run in a park up in that neck of the woods in July and got nearly driven crazy over the last 2 miles of the run as they began to feast on my head. The person I was running with said there was this cloud of them just chasing after me those last miles. It made me run faster up until the point I ran out of juice on my legs.

Insect repellent is doing nothing for me right now. Just horrible clouds that intensify on putting greens. It is like they know you have to stand still.

[dak4n6]

Not trying to one-up you, but here at the Jersey Shore, we got gnats (locals call them no-seeums cause they're tiny), black and strawberry flies, and the monster of the marshes: the greenhead. Some interesting greenhead facts:

- When you drive into an infested area, they dive bomb your car and bounce off so that it sounds like it's raining

- They actually slurp up insect repellent as an apperitif before they bite you (this may be urban myth)

- They easily bite through cotton shirts

- You can smack them with forceable impact, and they usually just look at you like 'is that all you got?' and fly away

- They can fly up to 30 knots, so unless you have a speedboat, you can't outrun them on the water

[ejimsmith]

nope, we don't have that problem in so cal.  FTW!

[Valleygolfer]

  dak4n6 said:

Originally Posted by dak4n6

Not trying to one-up you, but here at the Jersey Shore, we got gnats (locals call them no-seeums cause they're tiny), black and strawberry flies, and the monster of the marshes: the greenhead. Some interesting greenhead facts:

- When you drive into an infested area, they dive bomb your car and bounce off so that it sounds like it's raining

- They actually slurp up insect repellent as an apperitif before they bite you (this may be urban myth)

- They easily bite through cotton shirts

- You can smack them with forceable impact, and they usually just look at you like 'is that all you got?' and fly away

- They can fly up to 30 knots, so unless you have a speedboat, you can't outrun them on the water

Well we do not have your "greenhead" flies but we are not short on pests. We have no seeums, large population of mosquitoes, biting horseflies and the dreaded black fly. Having the black fly around is like the flies you see on National Geographic. The swarm your head and like to crawl into your mouth, nose and eyes. If they bite you, you swell and itch like crazy. Fortunately it usually is only a span of 5 weeks or so for the worst of it.

[Ernest Jones]

  dak4n6 said:

Originally Posted by dak4n6

Not trying to one-up you, but here at the Jersey Shore, we got gnats (locals call them no-seeums cause they're tiny), black and strawberry flies, and the monster of the marshes: the greenhead. Some interesting greenhead facts:

- When you drive into an infested area, they dive bomb your car and bounce off so that it sounds like it's raining

- They actually slurp up insect repellent as an apperitif before they bite you (this may be urban myth)

- They easily bite through cotton shirts

- You can smack them with forceable impact, and they usually just look at you like 'is that all you got?' and fly away

- They can fly up to 30 knots, so unless you have a speedboat, you can't outrun them on the water

I'm from the maritimes, know all about the green-heads; big, ugly and indestructible.

[phillyk]

I just hate mosquitos...  Annoying when it's a humid day, and you can't tee off or hit the ball without losing your concentration to slap yourself somewhere to kill'em.

[NM Golf]

I feel for you. In the desert we don't have many flying insects, but on vacation in Hilton Head a few years back my dad and I tried to hit balls after dinner one afternoon. We couldn't understand why no one was on the driving range on such a perfect day. We found out really quickly and got through about half our bucket before running and hiding!

[jamo]

I'm in Massachusetts and I haven't had any problems with flies yet. (Knock on wood.)

[Mobey]

Monday nights I play a course that is so bad I swear they could pick you up and lift you from shot to shot if you could train them.....

[boogielicious]

Legend has it that it was black flies that chased the Vikings (the real ones) out of North America.  They are truly evil.  Green heads are nasty, but you can feel them and at least have a sporting chance to swat them into oblivion before they bite.  Black flies are late May and June and green heads, in Mass., are late July.  Bug spray does not work on either.

I did a bike race in Keene, NH a few times at this time of year.  The black flies were so bad that some of the race marshals wore beekeeper hats!!  I got a flat and got eaten alive while waiting for the wheel van.

Black flies breed in running water, not still water like mosquitos.  Avoid courses that have small streams nearby or play coastal courses for a couple of weeks until they clear.  Nasty green heads like to bread in coastal marshes, so move inland in late July.

[Valleygolfer]

  boogielicious said:

Legend has it that it was black flies that chased the Vikings (the real ones) out of North America.  They are truly evil.  Green heads are nasty, but you can feel them and at least have a sporting chance to swat them into oblivion before they bite.  Black flies are late May and June and green heads, in Mass., are late July.  Bug spray does not work on either.

I did a bike race in Keene, NH a few times at this time of year.  The black flies were so bad that some of the race marshals wore beekeeper hats!!  I got a flat and got eaten alive while waiting for the wheel van.

Black flies breed in running water, not still water like mosquitos.  Avoid courses that have small streams nearby or play coastal courses for a couple of weeks until they clear.  Nasty green heads like to bread in coastal marshes, so move inland in late July.

Ouch in biker attire and assaulted by black flies. My track is surrounded by a river.

[dak4n6]

Quote:

Legend has it that it was black flies that chased the Vikings (the real ones) out of North America.

I wish they would chase the football Vikings out. Besides Big Blue they were my favorite team ever since the days of the Purple People Eaters, but they have sucked for so long I have given up on them...

[JCoop]

There are accounts of pioneer explorers who were actually driven insane by black flies. They are evil incarnate.

They came on strong over here in the Upper Valley for a couple weeks but seem to have slowed down a bit. I hope it stays that way.

[jamo]

The worst place I've ever seen for greenflies is Long Island, the North Fork and the Hamptons. They don't seem to swarm but they're extremely persistent, don't seem to care about repellant, and their bites actually sting a bit. Cape Cod is similar.

[Clambake]

  ejimsmith said:

Originally Posted by ejimsmith

nope, we don't have that problem in so cal.  FTW!

Cost of an average (but decent) starter home in Southern California:   >$600k

Country club membership initiation fees in SoCal:     >$50-150k

Not having to deal with #%&@ black flies and other nasty flying insects:   Priceless!!!!!

[BuckeyeNut]

I had a golf membership at a course many years ago in a floodplain..... the mosquito's were BRUTAL!!!!!!   Deep woods OFF was a golf bag staple...LOL    geesh....it was terrible.  The course flooded really bad and I dropped my membership for higher ground.

Ever since......I've never had insect issues EVER!!  weird, huh?  I swear we don't even has flies or mosquito's at my home course.   We have water hazards too, but insects aren't an issue.