Generally, I love where I live in south-western New Hampshire. But at the end of April and all through the month of May the black flies are plentiful and annoying.
I pretty much write off the entire month of May as lovely weather to look at from the safety of indoors. It’s a shame that just as the sun begins to get warm and the days are longer and everyone wants to be in the yard doing something, these little bugs make life miserable.
You would think it’s no big deal. They are just tiny flying bugs. I lived in Florida for 27 years and believe me I saw some nasty, awful creatures down there, but nothing was as horrendous as these flies.
They buzz your head and fly into your ears. Wearing long sleeves and a hat helps some, but they crawl up under the hat and into the sleeves and gloves, etc. and BITE! The bites are itchy, but not right away. In fact you can’t really tell they are biting until later.
That’s when the welts begin to appear with a horrible itch. My bitten ear is swollen and red and I have a lump the size of a quarter on my arm.
Hence, the net. When we first moved to NH, we saw people wearing nets over their heads in Spring … and laughed at them! Now, it is how I dress to do any type of yard work this time of year. Even so, I am not safe outside for long. Inevitably I end up with a new welt someplace.
The photo is a self portrait from last year. I took it of my reflection in the slider.
Happy Spring! (And don’t come to New Hampshire in May).
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New England's Narrow Road 
You might want to check into slightly altering your blood chemistry. Google it. I’ve heard that 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (in water) in the AM helps make your Ph balance alkaline & that most bugs don’t want that. ?? It might be worth a try.
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Thanks Kathryn, I will write that one down! I do appreciate all the advice.
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Oh my gosh, they really got me last week in Maine. I have huge lumps all over my neck and cheeks. They love my succulent flesh. I think they’re worse than mosquitoes, but I STILL love being in Maine.
All joys sans the bugs,
Sharon Lovejoy
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Hi Sharon,
Sorry to hear the bugs got to you too… but we do love the northeast and put up with the once a year annoyance. Thanks for coming by!
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Hi Pam,
I read that to avoid the black flies you should work at night as they do not bite then. Now you would only have to figure out what may be lurking at night! Would Skin-so-soft work on them as it does on the mosquitoes?
I will also heed your warning to not visit in May.
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Ya, I really can’t get much weeding or gardening done at night! I do go out walking early in the morning and they aren’t as bad then either. But I have to be inside by 7 or 7:30am.. ugh.
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OOOhhh, yuck! I would hate to have such things around. Have you tried anything to get rid of them?
I was having a problem with some small flies in my kitchen. I used some neem oil; a trap with cider vinegar, water, & a small amount of dish soap. I also spread around some bay leaves. This seemed to help . . . but it was indoors.
I’ve heard changing your body’s Ph to alkaline will help with mosquitoes. ???
I hope it gets better. 🙂
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Thanks Kathryn. Thanks for the advice. I haven’t heard about anything that works well, but I am determined to find something! I hate being stuck inside when the nice weather arrives.
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