The Enemy Mind - A guide to Backcountry Pests

Spend even a cursory amount of time in Georgia's backcountry and the impulsive swatting, itching, stinging and eventual swearing will remind you that we have more than our share of bugs.  They're relentless, merciless, and they see you as a light appetizer.  More to the point, some may even carry disease such as Lyme disease or the dreaded and (in one webmaster's opinion) over-hyped West Nile virus.  

So what can we do?  Well, not much I'm afraid.  Bugs are an important, if sometimes annoying part of the wilderness.   They're not going away, and chances of negotiating some kind of treaty are slim.  However, there are a few things you and I can do to help minimize our aggravation.  Understanding what makes bugs tick (no pun intended), and understanding the various insect repellants can help us make decisions to keep summer warm weather backpacking tolerable.

 

Adult Black Fly

Most of us have been harassed by the blackfly at one time or another.  You'll be walking along a trail and suddenly there it is in your hair, or buzzing at your face.  For me, these guys are by far the most annoying, and leave no trace ethics aside, I take great joy when one of my swats actually grounds one long enough to kill.  That exuberance is generally short lived due to the fact that the flies I meet are generally social, outgoing, and have many annoying friends.

The black fly breeds near clear running water such as small springs or creeks and is active only during the day when temperatures are above 50 degrees.  You're most likely to notice them at dawn or dusk, or just before the onset of a storm.  Cloudy days are their specialty, and they may be active throughout the daylight hours when it's overcast.  The black fly prefers dark colors such as dark blues, browns, and black.  This is often why they attack the head, as many people wear light colored shirts in the warmer months to shed heat.  This makes our head look like a bulls-eye to them, especially those of us with dark hair.  You can use this against the fly by wearing lighter clothing, or by tucking your shirt into your dark pants.  This technique draws the fly away from your head and to your waistline, where he's less likely to annoy.

Adult Mosquito

The mosquito has been around a long time, but has gained recent notoriety as the carrier of the West Nile virus.  Mosquitoes belong to a group of insects that requires blood to develop fertile eggs. Males do not lay eggs, thus, male mosquitoes do not bite. The females are the egg producers and "host-seek" for a blood meal. Female mosquitoes lay multiple batches of eggs and require a blood meal for every batch they lay. Few people realize that mosquitoes rely on sugar as their main source of energy, mostly from plant nectar.

The stinging itchy welt that is left is not a reaction to the wound, but is instead an allergic reaction to the female mosquito's saliva, which the she injects just before feeding.  It usually goes away in a few hours.  Mosquitoes breed in still water, and their larva may often be seen in still pools or swampy areas hanging just below the surface.  If disturbed, they swim downwards with a characteristic zigzag waddle.  Mosquitoes are most active in the late afternoon and dusk when temperatures are above 50 degrees, with some species even feeding at night.  The mosquito possesses an amazing array of sensory tools to locate food and is able to detect body heat, carbon dioxide, movement, and even the lactic acid of an unsuspecting hiker up to 115 feet away. You can minimize your attractiveness to the mosquito by talking less on the trail, and walking slower.  This gives off less carbon dioxide, keeps your body temperature lower, and limits lactic acid production.  The mosquito prefers dark colors, so wearing light colors doesn't hurt either.

Deer Tick

SPOOON!  Oh wait.  Sorry wrong tick. Ticks can be found in any outdoor location with vegetation, even a backyard. However, the more likely spots are: wooded areas and adjacent grasslands, high grass, dense shrubbery, salt marshes. Ticks do not fly, jump or actively pursue people as in the case of mosquitoes and other insects. Instead, they attach themselves to people or animals brushing against them in tall grass or shrubbery and only then do they begin to feed by biting the carrier.

Some ticks are known to carry diseases such as the infamous Lyme Disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.  However, a tick bite does not cause disease unless the tick is infected.  Seldom will you feel a tick bite or attach due to a local anesthetic present in their saliva.  Light colored clothes will deter them slightly, and will make them easier to see.  Some species don't mature until winter, don't let the cool weather fool you into a false sense of security.

Yellow Jacket

I had given thought to including several different wasp species, but all the ones I could come up with were docile compared to these guys.  Most bees and wasps will ignore you, unless you molest their nest or harass them repeatedly by swatting at them, asking them about their long distance carrier, or some other really irritating thing.  So tame are most bees that the common dirt dobber will usually not sting unless held in the hand (don't ask how I know that).

Indeed, yellow jackets are another matter entirely.  These insects should be considered the street gang of the wasp realm.  Although they are considered a beneficial insect because they eat other insects, they are aggressive, nasty, and very dangerous.  Yellow jackets and hornets are venomous wasps with about 26 species in the United States. The name yellow jacket refers to the typical yellow and black bands on the abdomen although a close relative, the baldfaced hornet, has white and black bands. Yellow jackets do not bite. All yellow jacket species have a stinger that can inject a very painful venom into the skin. Most of the species of yellow jackets in Georgia build underground nests although they can also be found in aerial nests, or in hollow trees. The majority of cases of people receiving hundreds of stings usually occurred from wandering into a wooded area and stepping into a mature nest. Then thousands of yellow jackets can swarm after the unlucky adult or child. If the victim is wearing thin clothing, the wasps can sting right through the clothing. The stinger of yellow jackets is not barbed like the stinger on bees. For that reason, one yellow jacket worker can repeatedly sting a victim. A normal reaction to a sting involves only the immediate area of the sting and swelling appears in 2 to 3 minutes. It involves redness, itching, pain and formation of a wheal at the site. Usually the symptoms lessen within two hours. The yellow jacket becomes more aggressive in the fall, and is attracted to sweet smells, bright colors, and rapid movement.  Your best bet is to be aware and on the lookout for their nests, most of which are in the ground.  Also, keep sweet food items sealed to avoid arousing interest from the foraging workers.