July bug alerts

It would appear that the bugs are happily reproducing. The worst, during the day, are the deer flies. They are the mid-sized biters that like to take a chunk out. They are merciless during the day, even in the hot sun. They have coloured eyes and bands across their wings. If you wait for them to land you can give them a good swat. The only remedy we have found is a product from Lee Valley Tools called Deer Fly Patches (product # AB715; photo used by permission).

The horse flies, the largest, drag away small children, or, at least, small house pets. They are less frequent, and easier to swat. They land, inspect and THEN take a chunk out of you!

The mosquitoes remain relentless. The only mercy is that they do not like the hot sun and the wind, of which we have had plenty lately. They are worst in the dusk and evening, but have not troubled us during the day in open spaces by the shore.

The black flies, unfortunately, have been procreating and reproducing. They seem a bit smaller than they did in Spring, when they were at their worst. They only hunt for our blood in the cooler parts of the day, or when the sun hides behind clouds. They do not live indoors, like that one mosquito that pursues to the death in the dark of the night!

The dragonflies (Bless them!), continually chase and hunt down those flying pesks. They are delightful to watch. I captured their dance in a photo from across our lake. They alight gracefully on a flower and get the bugs out of my flowers.