Biting Flies

[fly]

This morning, I was chased by a yellow fly and saw another big one this afternoon. They're back.

All flies have been warned not to bother SJ.

 

[FoX]

 

[Smiling JOe]

All flies have been warned not to bother SJ.

Thanks Fly. I can use all the help I can get.

 

[Paula]

I don't remember if it's in August or in the fall, but I like to go to the beach early in the mornings to sit in a beach chair and read a good book, and I do remember deciding to wear long pants or bringing a towel to wrap my legs in to keep little biting insects off them. The technique works great and I didn't have a problem as long as I kept my legs under wraps. Haven't been chased or bitten by a yellow fly yet, but I'm still pretty new to the area.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Locals in general are saltier, but tourists are meatier. Hmmmm . . .decisions, decisions.

By suggesting that tourists are "meatier," I hope that you are not suggesting that I am "fat" (less meaty). Don't make me bust out the fly glue.

 

[fly]

By suggesting that tourists are "meatier," I hope that you are not suggesting that I am "fat" (less meaty). Don't make me bust out the fly glue.

You are now off the no fly zone.

 

[Smiling JOe]

You are now off the no fly zone.

Now, I am thinking about the "D" word.

 

[22tango]

We've been here one week and have three more weeks to enjoy the beach....at least I hope we can. The flies are biting us horribly and the several repellents we've tried don't seem to help. We've had to leave the beach early in the morning, early afternoon and late afternoon. Does anyone have any recommendations for good repellents or a better time of day to be on the beach?

We were here two years ago in late August and never experienced any biting flies or mosquitoes. Are they somehow related to the hurricane???

We're from Arizona, so I know we probably sound rather ignorant about these things, but any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Kurt]

We've been here one week and have three more weeks to enjoy the beach....at least I hope we can. The flies are biting us horribly and the several repellents we've tried don't seem to help. We've had to leave the beach early in the morning, early afternoon and late afternoon. Does anyone have any recommendations for good repellents or a better time of day to be on the beach?

We were here two years ago in late August and never experienced any biting flies or mosquitoes. Are they somehow related to the hurricane???

We're from Arizona, so I know we probably sound rather ignorant about these things, but any help will be greatly appreciated.

Not hurricane related.

They will be on the beach until the wind turns around and comes from offshore.

The only repellent is Smiling Joe's homebrew.

You don't sound ignorant because your from Arizona.

 

[Smiling JOe]

We've been here one week and have three more weeks to enjoy the beach....at least I hope we can. The flies are biting us horribly and the several repellents we've tried don't seem to help. We've had to leave the beach early in the morning, early afternoon and late afternoon. Does anyone have any recommendations for good repellents or a better time of day to be on the beach?

We were here two years ago in late August and never experienced any biting flies or mosquitoes. Are they somehow related to the hurricane???

We're from Arizona, so I know we probably sound rather ignorant about these things, but any help will be greatly appreciated.

The Dog Flies come in when the winds are out of the NW. They are not related to the Hurricanes. When the low pressure out of the NW moves out of here, the Flies will be pushed north. Until then, enjoy the 70 degree temperatures at night and the dryer air. I braved the Flies for a couple of hours last night, and they finally packed up shop and moved on when darkness fell on the sky. The flies are attracted to dark colors, so I am told, so wear white clothing when possible. They also like salty skin. Going into the Gulf is more likely to get you covered when you come out of the water. You could always find a sacrificial object to dip into the Gulf's salty water, and set it up near you, but not too close (10-15' away). The object can be anything darker in color with a little size - plastic boat, boogie board, beach chair, etc. If you are going to use a product with deet, you will have to use one with a deet percentage of 30%+ to be effective in the least bit. Keep it close to you and expect to reapply often.