Canoe any river in early spring, or any time after a warm rain and you've got bugs. It's the price nature extracts from paddlers for the good time she provides. Whether bugs are simply a pain or drive you totally insane depends upon your attitude and how you're outfitted.


KNOWING WHAT BUGS YOU

If you’re heading north, you’d best be prepared for bugs. Indeed, it has been estimated that 95 percent of the protoplasm in the far north is in the bodies of black flies and mosquitoes! In the Boundary Waters Canoe Area that figure is probably closer to 50 percent—still, more than enough to drive you crazy if you’re not prepared. Mosquitoes, black flies, Deer flies (Bull dogs) and occasionally, no-see-ums and ticks are your major enemies.

Horse flies and Deer flies are much larger than House flies. They are most annoying on hot, sunny days. High winds don’t stop them. They nip at your ankles and produce painful, bloody wounds that are easily infected. But they can't bite through thick socks (one reason why I always wear two pair) or two layers of clothing.

Black flies, which are the size of rice grains, breed in fast water and are the most dreaded pests you're likely to encounter on a canoe trip. Quickly bypass rapids and falls if you see dark "nets" in the current that look like knee-high socks. These “socks” are developing black fly larvae! You’ll avoid most black flies if you don’t camp near moving water.

Black flies prefer confined areas around wrists, ankles and ears. Closely woven clothing, neck-to-toe long-johns, head-nets, bug jackets and body nets will keep them at bay.



"No-see-ums" are smaller than the holes in conventional mosquito netting. Nearly all modern tents have “no-seeum-proof” netting which, I think is a big mistake. Why? Because encounters with these tiny insects are very rare. And the price you pay for the closely woven netting is poor ventilation, distorted visibility and reduced durability (the stuff tears easily). Simply spray your tent netting with repellent or Permethrin (more on this later) and no-see-ums won’t fly through.


REPELLENTS AND PESTICIDES

In my travels to the Northwest Territories of Canada, I've field tested just about every insect repellent known to man. Here's a summary of my findings, which I gathered from bites on my very own body!
Almost any commercial repellent will deter mosquitoes (at least, for a while), but only those that contain "deet" (N-N Diethyl-metatoluamide) work for biting flies. Generally, the more deet a repellent has, the better it works. For decades, I’ve thumbed my nose at non-deet repellents and took the heat from those who said they work. Now, we have proof that deet is better: In an article entitled “Insect Repellents: Which keep bugs at Bay”, Consumer Reports /June 2006, the effectiveness of a repellent was found to be directly related to the amount of deet it contained. Below are some comparative findings from the CR report:

As you can see, the more DEET the better!

My own experience canoeing in the Arctic suggests that repellents that contain at least 30 percent DEET are generally adequate.

There have been concerns that extensive use of DEET may cause health problems. However, tests by the U.S. government reveal that it is safe for adults. None-the-less, adults with sensitive skin--and all children--should use a mild, cream-based (low DEET or no DEET) repellent or a "Controlled Release" formula like the one developed by the Sawyer Company. Note: “Controlled Release” repellents don’t work on black flies!

A safe plan when using conventional repellents is to first rub sun block deep into your skin, wait several minutes, then apply the repellent. The sun block keeps your body from absorbing too much of the chemical.


FOR SUPER-SENSITIVE SKIN

Natural (citronella-based) repellents are kinder to your skin than DEET and they will deter some mosquitoes. However, they don't last long and they won't repel biting flies. Some people with super-sensitive skin swear by Ben Gay® and Skin-So-Soft®, but these skin-care products (which are not approved repellents) last for minutes not hours. And as pointed out, none of the botanical repellents are very effective.

Personally, I hate to put chemicals on my skin, so unless the bugs are really bad, I just “button up” and grin and bear it. Wearing long-sleeved shirts and trousers and long underwear prevents most bug bites.


SOME IMPORTANT TIPS



• Generally, dark colors attract more insects than light colors. But this is not a hard and fast rule. Navy blue (not powder blue), and to a lesser extent, black, are the two colors you want to avoid. Wear light colors--white, yellow, olive drab or tan, if you can. Leon L. Bean, founder of the L.L. Bean, Company, once claimed that red repels black flies. My own experience in the Canadian Arctic suggests otherwise.

• Bugs will avoid your face if you saturate a bandanna with repellent and tie it around your neck. Spray the underside of your hat brim too! You won’t have to apply repellent to your face and neck.

• Permethrin is a low-toxic pesticide. It's mostly used for ticks but it will kill most insects that come into contact with it. Spray Permethrin on clothing (pant hems and shirt cuffs), not skin. One application lasts for several weeks. Tip: Bugs will be killed if they land on a net or screen that has been sprayed with Permethrin. Caution: don't spray Permethrin on head nets or body nets, or on any clothing that comes into contact with your mouth, nose or eyes.


A TICK ON YOU

It takes several hours for ticks to burrow in, so don't panic if there's a tick on you. A hot shower usually removes all the ticks that haven't imbedded in. You'll eliminate most tick bites if you tuck your pants into high socks and rubber-band or Velcro the wrists of your long-sleeve shirts. Bugs can’t gnaw through clothing so wear lightweight long johns under your clothes.


TO REMOVE AN IMBEDDED TICK

1. Scoop under the tick's body and pull the tick slowly away from the skin without twisting or jerking it. The Sawyer Tick Pliers® with its 20X magnifying lens simplifies removal.

2. Draw out as much tick saliva as you can. Dr. Bill Forgey, author of Wilderness Medicine, recommends the Sawyer Extractor® which produces a powerful vacuum that removes most saliva. If you use the Extractor immediately after a mosquito bite, you won't get a raised welt. The strong vacuum will extract the stinger and nearly all the venom of a bee or wasp. The inexpensive Extractor® fits into a fist-size plastic box.

Don't twist, yank or scrape the tick, or pour vinegar, Vaseline or cooking oil on it. And don't try to burn off the tick with a lighter or cigarette. Any of these methods may cause the tick to disgorge its contents into you!

3. Wash the affected area with soap and water and paint on povidone-iodine or rubbing alcohol to help prevent local infection.

4. Attempt to identify the tick. Your greatest worry is the tiny Ixodes deer tick which carries Lyme disease. However, other ticks may carry diseases too, so put the tick (dead or alive) in a plastic bag with a few drops of water and keep it for analysis in case you get sick.


AFTER THE BITE

After the bite Benadryl is my favorite non-prescription medication. Pure Aloe Vera is also effective.
Household ammonia and water will cut the sting of mosquito bites. A wet salt pack will draw away the pain of bee, wasp and hornet stings.


HEAD AND BODY NETS

Head net: A simple net that fits in a pants pocket is best. Avoid the type with bulky hoops and button tie-downs that won’t fit in a pocket. You can make a head-net by sewing up a wide rectangle of mosquito net. It should cover your head and hat, and drape lazily on your shoulders. You don't need security buttons or an elastic neck band.

Head-nets are best built from wide-mesh mosquito net, not tightly woven no-see-um net. Tight netting can be intolerably hot. Head nets (and tent screens) should be colored black for good visibility. If you can't find a black head net, darken the eye panel with black dye or marker.

Bug jackets: Bug jackets which are made from tightly woven cotton or no-see-um netting can be sweaty when it's hot. A porous nylon windshell works about as well.

Many canoeists rely on The Original Bug Shirt which combines fine-mesh netting and ultralight, white cotton. The zippered hood has a built-in face net so you don't need a head-net. Elastic closures at the wrist and waist provide an impenetrable seal. Ventilation is adequate for all but the hottest days.

Bug tents: A small military surplus bug tent encourages sanity when lounging in buggy country. Military surplus stores carry a number of different models which are easy to rig. Or, try the 2-person "Susie Bug Net", designed by my wife Sue Harings. It's available from Piragis or, follow the instructions in my books, “Basic Illustrated Camping” or “Camping’s Top Secrets”, and make your own. The finished net will weigh less than a pound and compress to football size.

Here are some uses for your Susie bug net.

1. Eat inside it; there's room for two.

2. Use it as a "porta potty" when bugs are bad. This is its finest feature when biting flies are about.

3. Bathe in it! Wear your life vest and you'll float confidently inside your bug armor. Once ashore, it dries fast.

4. Use it as a covering for food to keep bugs away.

5. Hang it from a tree branch or rig a tripod inside and you'll have a bug-proof tipi in which you can relax when you stop along the river.


ATTITUDE!

Frankly, surviving bugs is mostly a matter of attitude. Bugs hover much more than they bite so you're ahead if you can simply put them out-of-mind. Cover exposed skin, use repellents and avoid navy blue clothing. For severe conditions, head-nets, body nets and screened tarps are a God-send.

XXX

BUG-PROOFING...Jacobson/ DATE April 15, 2009

Cliff's Archived Notes