Orillia Ontario Area and Black Flies

That's a hard one to nail down. It can vary by a week or more, depending on the weather.

Our cottage is north of Ottawa and for us it's bad from mid May for 2-3 weeks.

When we notice them one weekend they are annoying. The second weekend they are deadly so we don't go up. By the third weekend they are back to being annoying, the forth weekend they are gone.

Some dry years we hardly have any. This Spring has been wet so I know it will be bad. This is usually when we book holidays elsewhere.

With the unusually cold, wet spring we've had this year I'd say you'll get eaten alive, perhaps not as much by black flies but certainly by mossies. The further north one goes the worse it seems to get and last time we camped at Arrowhead in late June a few years ago I had to go into Huntsville to buy a screen room as there was just no way we could sit outside and survive without it. I learned from that experience and leave any trips much north of Parry Sound to later in the season. Orillia isn't quite as far north but if you're not convinced listen to this.

While the above is about as accurate as you can get given the vagrancies of Canadian weather I would point out that this year is a real anomaly. That area will have snow in sheltered / shaded areas past the first of May.

If it stays like this then flashes into a warm spell they could be gone in very short order.

The other variable in all of this is location. If you're in an area exposed to the wind that changes everything. The little buggers can't compete with much of a breeze.

We had a hatch here down in NC last week. We are trying to send them all your way.

The situation has gotten worse since Stomping Tom died

BAD BAD BAD until July.

darsben wrote:
The situation has gotten worse since Stomping Tom died

I did not realize Stomping Tom was an insect repellant?

W.

He isn't, really, but he does put the bugs in jugs.

only watch if you're a fan haha

I heard that most of the snowbugs have headed north, so it will probably be bad.