Canadian Black Fly Season

[carp65]

Considering a trip across the trans-Canadian highway, expecting to
arrive in Saul St. Marie about June 1 and will be traveling west
to Vancouver. Is this a good time to travel without the curse of
"black flys"? Appreciate all replies!

[Tothill]

We live on the BC South Coast and I have no idea what a Black Fly is. We have mosquitoes and no see ums. Wasps are often a problem in late summer.

In the BC Interior they have horse flies that like to take a chunk out of you.

[winniman]

We have three fly seasons up here in Canada. First its the black flies, then the deer flies, then the snow flies. lol We have eight months of winter and four months of bugs. Seriously though, most of the worst of it is over by late June or July.

[SideHillSoup]

Black Fly’s along the Trans Canada hwy are next to none that I can recall. The only place you may run into a few is at the higher elevations around green thick foliage, for the Calgary to Vancouver section. Calgary to Regina only driven it two times and didn’t seem to remember them bothering us.
Mosquitos on the other had are more weather related then what month it is in the Summer . If we get a bunch of wet weather and the ground get saturated tand we get a lot of standing water…. The Mosquitos thrive….
We have a or 5er parked as seasonal up in the Mountains next to a creek and lake and neither were bothersome the last two summers. However the Warps and Hornets were out in force last year.
With the lack of snow we are getting this year West of the Alberta Boarder and south of Revelstoke B.C., next year bug count is anybody’s guess. Snow Packs are very low where I live and is about 75% of normal where up North by Liard Hot Springs they are 167% of normal snow fall.
Heck I have hardly any snow in my Yard and am thinking of Parking the Snowblower and tuning up the lawnmower
So it could be a VERY hot Summer down here with no Mosquitos but up North where they have a huge snow pack there could be lots of Mosquitos.
Time Will Tell
Soup

[VE3ESN]

Some years back, I spent a summer planting trees north of Sault Ste. Marie near Elliot Lake. The black flies were UNBELIEVABLE. If you're hiking, etc., make sure that your pants are tucked into your socks, as the black flies love to gnaw away at your ankles.

[Joseph_T1]

Weather has a lot to do with it. If we get a hot spring then it tends to "burn them off". I've been up north in May and June and it varies. Sometimes bad, sometimes not so bad.

[Shadow_Catcher]

Had them and killer number of mosquito last June in Lake Superior Provincial Park. They both ignored massive amounts of repellant, still have scars from the black flies, BUT it was worth it!
This was aggravated by a wet spring which is likely to be the case this year as well due to the polar vortex.

[Dog_Folks]

Yet everyone says Florida has bugs? :h :h

[Fizz]

Depends where you are. For us mid May is bad, usualy bad for three weekends.
Blackflies need running water to lay, hatch. Not like mosquitows that need stagnant water.

[loulou57]

Don't let the black flies determine your trip. The Canadian population has not decreased because of them, LOL

Some people they don't even bother, hubby for one. You can use repellent either natural or chemical to keep them away.

We have yet to determine a camping trip based on bugs.

[EsoxLucius]

Depends on the weather. But generally early June is a good time for them.