Rangeley Maine log home overlooking Rangeley Lake vacation rental seasonal stay Pests

Like clockwork, each summer brings various
nusience pests, like mosquitoes, black flies, deer
flies, and those lousy no-see-ums. Depending on
the insect, some are only out for a few weeks,
not the entire summer.
Luckily, due to the fact that Kodiak is on a
mountain, you will enjoy frequent, pleasant
breezes, so your stay should not be affected by
most of these insects.

BLACK FLIES

The insects are usually out in May of any given year. They
are small, black insects and like to crawl on clothing to
access your skin. Their bite, unlike the mosquito, is more
of a laceration. They do not suck blood, they lap it up. I
find they love to bite ears. Good news, they are detered
by DEET.

DEER FLIES

Female deer flies are vicious, painful biters. They are slightly
larger than house flies and mostly yellow or black with
darker stripes on the abdomen. Some species have brilliant
green or golden eyes with zigzag stripes. They are strong
fliers and fortunatley are only out for a short period of
time in June and July. What annoys most people is their
incessant bussing around the head. Deer flies prefer to bite
the highest point of their targets and are easily deterred by
a hat or hood.

NO SEE UM'S

Sometimes referred to as a midge, these tiny, tiny little flies-
less than an eighth-inch long- can bite you and you may not
know it until you feel a slight itching of a bite in progress.
When on your skin, the bite feels like a tiny pin prick and
then it's gone. They are nocturnal and can not stand even
the slightest breeze, so they are seldom a problem in the
mountains.

MOSQUITOES

Like most other places, mosquitoes are biting by mid- May
and throughout most of the spring and summer. DEET will
also deter these pests as in the case of black flies.