Attack of the man eating flies

[John T1594]

Green Heads

In New Jersey we call then "Green Heads". They inhabit the wet lands and islands along the Intracoastal. They usually attack as we go out the river and into the bay. They seem to know when you are busy with docking or maneuvering and that is when they go for your ankles. The Captain needs someone in the cockpit to stand guard with a fly swatter at the critical times. We also have a variety of smaller black flies that seem to come out when the wind is down and we are just drifting along. These insects must have fangs because they really hurt when they bite.

 

[CaptainNasty]

pesticide

We have had good luck with Tempo. Throughout the year, we will be plagued by Mosquitoes, Buffalo Gnats (the worst), biting black flies and other horrid pests. I have a small pump sprayer that I use to mix and apply a batch of Tempo pesticide. I apply it in a mist to the transom and around the outside of the boat, and other areas as needed, trying to avoid the areas we most contact with our skin. It works wonders to cut down bugs and seems to last a month. I'm told that Tempo is used in commercial kitchens, and reasonably safe around humans.

Horror story: Last summer, I had a MacGregor in the slip all season that only got sailed a couple times. One day after it had been idle for 2 months, we decided to sail it. We noticed spider webs all over the rudder, transom and swim ladder. I attacked them with buckets of water and then hundreds of spiders started crawling up to get into the boat. Some were tiny, and some were as big as a baby's hand. All we had was the bucket and a towel to whack them with. It was creepy and disgusting, but we eventually killed them all. Had I sprayed the boat with Tempo, that never would have happened.

 

[J19315]

screen enclosure

Out on Lake Michigan yesterday. Great wind, no waves, then the biting flies attacked.

Had to get off lake. Anyone come up with anything to keep them off? Had Deet, Skin So Soft, 50% water and vinegar. Nothing worked. Open to any advice.

Our boat is on Superior. We get hundreds of biting flies on our boat in the summer. They burrow into my socks to bite! We had our canvas guy (ShipShape) build a screen cockpit enclosure made from a product called Phifertex. A fly resistant enclosure is the only real solution from my experience.

 

[Mark48]

I have not had the fly issue on Michigan this year, but two years ago it was terrible, it took months to get all the guts washed off the cockpit floor. Did not find anything that worked that day and swatting was small revenge.

 

[Fred7825]

Become a millionaire

Figure out a foolproof solution to get rid of these little f..kers and you will become very wealthy

 

[intrepid44]

I read to use a small zip-lock poly parts bag like you get at West Marine hardware aisle. Put water and some shiny pennies in it and hang from your lifelines. The reflected light is like a disco ball to the flies and they go else where.

 

[Captn TJ]

Figure out a foolproof solution to get rid of these little f..kers and you will become very wealthy

And while you're at it a solution for barn swallows that insist on perching on the lifelines and c.....g all over the deck. My only solution so far has been putting bird seed on neighbors boats (just kidding)

 

[dachelpo]

Are the flies generally bad all summer and fall? Hoping to trailer to the Apostle Islands in August or September and my Hunter 216 does not have a suitable cabin to escape to as a daysailer.

 

[Winkfish]

I've taken to wearing the light convertible trek pants and long sleeve light Magellan fishing shirts. If they're biting, the long sleeves and long pants are not that hot, and if they're not biting, I roll up the sleeves and take the long bits off the pants.

 

[Winkfish]

Also, the fishermen on the forum i go to swear by Amber Romance from Victoria's Secret. (Problem is your wife might not believe you were sailing, or fishing in my case.)

 

[shemandr]

Our boat is on Superior. We get hundreds of biting flies on our boat in the summer. They burrow into my socks to bite! We had our canvas guy (ShipShape) build a screen cockpit enclosure made from a product called Phifertex. A fly resistant enclosure is the only real solution from my experience.

No wonder you guys like winter.

 

[DJN51]

Thanks for all the replies,Some very inventive.So I enclose my cockpit in a screen tent,lather up with Amber Romance from Victoria s Secret,hang pennies in baggies from lifelines.Put on my one piece Carhart canvas work suit and bee screened hat,go sailing for the day and the come home and try explain to wife why I smell like a French lady of the evening!! Maybe I,ll just take grandson pond fishing till they go away next month!!

 

[Stargazer3]

The only thing that will truly work against these voracious pests is a fully enclosed cockpit. You almost can NOT go up to the North Channel without it! All of the above posts make good suggestions that do help, though! Good luck! Capt Bill on STARGAZER

 

[David in Sandusky]

Flies live on the water

We crossed Lake Erie in dead calm one day from Erieau to Mentor. The surface of the lake was dead flat and greasy looking. In the middle of the lake, we could see about one fly on every square yard of the surface!

When they would see a big white thing passing by, they would rise up and join us in the cockpit! We put our legs up on the cockpit seats, and wrap them in big towels. A fly swatter is mostly for the satisfaction of striking back.

We will try some of the repellents identified in this thread. They do leave the boat when we get to port.

With good winds over the last four weekends, we haven't seen them yet this year.

But the huge May fly hatch is happening now! The surface is striped orange with the shells they leave behind when they molt and take off to mate, usually over the shore. They don't bother us, but they die in such numbers the morning after that they can cover the decks!

 

[GBaySail]

That's the dreaded stable fly. Horrible little buggers. Some people call the friendly flies but they're not friendly at all.

 

[piper1277]

Well, I have no secret to keeping the flies away but we have found that an ELECTRIC fly swatter is the best method to dispatch them! Nope, you're not going to kill them all but the ones you DO "swat" collapse out of the air and you don't end up with squished flies and blood all over the boat. Just make sure your batteries are strong!

 

[pultsail1]

Out on Lake Michigan yesterday. Great wind, no waves, then the biting flies attacked.

Had to get off lake. Anyone come up with anything to keep them off? Had Deet, Skin So Soft, 50% water and vinegar. Nothing worked. Open to any advice.

Sail east of Rochester NY area and have been lucky this year {so far} One of our largest races is the Scotch Bonnet which crosses the lake and comes back on a 83NM race. The last time I sailed it, GYC that hosts the race handed out fly swatters for participation gifts. Just east of Rochester is Ginna Nuclear Plant and is closer to my home port. Rumor in this area is the flies are some sort of mutant superflys caused by radioactivity, although I’ve also heard they are alien to the planet and arrived on a comet.
On a serious note, your smelly things (dryer sheets, deet, etc) are just not strong enough to work in open air. I have heard of skin repellents that help but it’s really trial and error. I would venture to say that someone at your local farm co-op probably knows what to use without bathing in chemicals. I know I’m going to seriously regret saying this but….. I haven’t seen a damn one this year and often get the swarms too. We are a bit cooler here than the norm which I thought was the answer, but I’m really unsure. My wife pointed out to me that she has never seen as many purple martins, and wonder if that’s the answer. After she said it I realized she was right and they seem to be everywhere. It’s been a bit cool for the skeeters yet (thank god) and these guys will eat flies and have one hell of an appetite.
I guess it’s a bit late for this year, but if the problem is that bad I would be putting up martin houses like crazy. I do know if it’s bad enough the area can be sprayed, but what would you rather have?
We live and sail out of apple country. I have heard of and had experienced first hand having swarms of bees land on the boat in seconds. This happened to me years ago while taking my daughter out for an early spring sail and having thousands on board in seconds. You know that old saying that you should be prepared for anything? LOL The water was 43, I was a mile out, and had a 10 year old on board. That’s one for sail mag sometime I guess, but have heard of it happening several times here. People think they are getting swarmed but in reality they are harmless if you stay calm. The farmers put hives in the orchards and occasionally a good south blow catches them off guard and sends them out in the lake where they are just looking to land. I had my daughter wrapped in a sail and slowly made my way in, personally covered with them. I’ve never heard of anyone calm getting stung, but can promises you it prompts an underwear change, and will take the fly’s any day.

 

[mesamps]

We also have stable flies here on Lake of the Woods, MN, MB, ON. One of the fishermen turned me onto something that does supply some relief from the little vampires. I now cable tie a couple of bovine ear tags with insecticide, available from our local fleet supply, that are specifically targeted at stable flies, to our pedestal tubes away from our feet. The flies have to touch them for it to be effective but it does seem to tame the swarm and even discourage them from boarding, with many just hanging on the stern and not in the cockpit. We also hang a few loose towels around the cockpit, touching the deck so if we chase them out they seem to stay out a little longer. Ours haven't fired up yet this year but I know it's just around the corner....Note to self, get to Fleet Supply tomorrow....

 

[dmc]

I haven't found anything ....

...to keep the black flies away. But, here on Lake St. Clair they seem to attack when a freighter passes close by. Stay away from the shipping channels.

Peace

dmc

 

[Benny17441]

On the open area sitting in some restaurants down here they hang transparent plastic bags filled partially with water and they place 3 or 4 pennies in them and hang them around the perimeter. It seems to work. Something about the size of the pennies as seen through the water in their eyes resembles a formidable predator. We experienced such a fly attack while cruising in the Long Island Sound and luckily we had a Texas flyswatter which is just an oversize one. It was a blood bath and we gave as good as we took. When we got to our destination for the evening we had to hose the cockpit down.