it's going to be an itchy summer

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BigBear
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Re: it's going to be an itchy summer

Post by BigBear » July 25th, 2022, 8:46 am

In the Newton Creek area its not the mosquitoes, its the flies. They're hatching. Where are my friendly water ouzels (aka dippers)?

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Waffle Stomper
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Re: it's going to be an itchy summer

Post by Waffle Stomper » July 28th, 2022, 5:54 pm

Ahhh this brings back memories of the summers of my youth when the still of some early mornings were broken by the roar of a low flying helicopter saturating our yards with what I assume was DDT to control the mosquitoes. I remember my mother jumping out of bed telling my dad and I to get up and quickly close all the windows. I can almost smell the toxic mix now. Good times.

🦟🦟🦟🦟🦟🦟🦟🦟🦟🦟
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir

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Don Nelsen
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Re: it's going to be an itchy summer

Post by Don Nelsen » July 28th, 2022, 6:29 pm

I read an article in the Skamania Co. paper yesterday that talked about this mosquito plague we are enduring. It stated that there are "nearly 10 times the number of insects that hatched in 2021". The story blames the recent flooding and the very wet spring and added that a large number of eggs that didn't hatch last year did so this year creating a "perfect storm".

On my hike near Archer Mt. today I was constantly in a cloud of the little buggers and had to re-apply repellent a half dozen times as my perspiration washed off the previous applications. I got bit about a half dozen times, nevertheless.

I have never seen so many of them, even in places like Hawaiian jungles and near central cascade lakes where they are notorious.

dn
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"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller

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wildcat
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Re: it's going to be an itchy summer

Post by wildcat » July 30th, 2022, 11:00 am

About 10? years ago we had a similarly nasty mosquito bloom following a fairly wet fall/winter/spring (I don't think there was any major flooding like this year but very rainy with many thermal inversions). Not as bad as this year's plague but close. Pushing the bike up the unrideably steep hill on Mill Plain between Grand and Ogden, I even managed to get one up my nose! It took a rather violent sneezing jag for about 6 minutes plus much blowing to finally expel the little bitch. Thankfully that hasn't happened this year, yet. Touch wood.

There's a beach outside of west Vancouver that I love for its relative privacy and seclusion* and had planned to go to today. I did a ride out there on Wednesday night after work, specifically to test the area's mosquito load, and within about 15 seconds of my arriving at the trailhead they were circling and landing. That answered that question.

[* It's relatively unpopular because it's so remote, so it's a great place to get your full-body tan and maybe only see 2 or 3 other people the entire afternoon. Not officially a nude beach but as good of one as you're going to get on this side of the Columbia. Obviously that's out of the question this year. ]

Hopefully the hot days this week and likely next will be enough to put a lot of them in check. Since apparently most of last year's dormant eggs have popped, maybe we'll get a break next year?

Where the hell are Waffle's aerial sprayers now that we finally need them again? /s

On the other hand I have also seen LOTS of dragonflies this year, which are a major predator of mosquitoes. That's been pretty neat.
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adamschneider
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Re: it's going to be an itchy summer

Post by adamschneider » July 30th, 2022, 11:31 am

I hiked at the coast yesterday (Angora Peak), and there were barely any mosquitos. Only place that's been the case in the last month.

Webfoot
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Re: it's going to be an itchy summer

Post by Webfoot » July 30th, 2022, 1:41 pm

Waffle Stomper wrote:
July 28th, 2022, 5:54 pm
Ahhh this brings back memories of the summers of my youth when the still of some early mornings were broken by the roar of a low flying helicopter saturating our yards with what I assume was DDT to control the mosquitoes. I remember my mother jumping out of bed telling my dad and I to get up and quickly close all the windows. I can almost smell the toxic mix now. Good times.

🦟🦟🦟🦟🦟🦟🦟🦟🦟🦟
Malathion? DDT is supposed to be almost odorless.

squidvicious
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Re: it's going to be an itchy summer

Post by squidvicious » July 30th, 2022, 2:50 pm

I keep hearing about mosquitos, but it's still all about the flies for me. Was up on top of Larch today--a place I've never used bug spray before and never had a problem--and they were biting before I even stepped out of the car. It was like it was personal.

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retired jerry
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Re: it's going to be an itchy summer

Post by retired jerry » July 31st, 2022, 2:17 pm

I was in Goat Rocks for a few days. Most mosquitoes I can think of that I've experienced.

DEET is good.

Head net sort of works. Hard to eat or drink with it though.

I bought 1 yard of netting from ripstopbytheroll.com. 54" wide. Put the netting around a small ball (pinecone), tied a line around it, then tied the other end of the line to a tree. In this case there was no tree, so I tied my bear line around a tree, to the ground, and the head net attached to that line:
20220729_161902.jpg

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drm
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Re: it's going to be an itchy summer

Post by drm » August 1st, 2022, 9:15 am

BigBear wrote:
July 18th, 2022, 1:25 pm

Two weeks ago, katu forecasters noted that Jan-Jun 2022 was ranked 16th in wettest starts to the year, trailing 1996 by half of its rainfall during the same period. Then, miraculously last week katu forecasters said 2022 was the wettest spring in 86 years. Strange, I don't remember that much rain falling over the weekend to jump from 16th to 1st. I guess if you spin the numbers enough you can get to #1 by hook or by crook.
Try reading what you posted a little more closely. The first one - 16th wettest - was for a half year - six months. Wettest was for 3 months. I remember we had a dry and warm period in the winter - hit 70 deg in The Dalles in February for the first time in history. The wet period started mid-March. Stats don't lie, but you do need to pay attention to the details - and make sure you have the details. Some people try to manipulate with statistics by hiding the details.

I don't think the mosquitoes are worse this year, but the peak is later because the snow melted later. In recent years, the mosquito peak up high was done by late July. This year it will go into August.

Jerry - I couldn't imagine being stuck in that little thing. I need a little room to move around.

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retired jerry
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Re: it's going to be an itchy summer

Post by retired jerry » August 1st, 2022, 11:23 am

since it's netting you can see through, so it's like it's not there

more room than a headnet

although the only reason that netting "tent" is acceptable is the mosquitoes were worse

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