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Superman’s got his cape, Ironman his suit of iron, and Rob Perez, well Rob has a head net. Okay, so Rob isn’t fighting crime, he’s fighting the infernal, incessant black flies that have taken over. So far, the black flies are winning. Rob might have to call Tony Stark for some pointers. As for Clark Kent, he’s too busy with newspaper work to help. Good luck, Rob! Photos courtesy of Rob Perez
Ever wonder what it would feel like to be a horse covered in flies? Spend a few minutes near the water in Northern Minnesota in late July and enjoy. The good news is we finally got some much-needed rain last week. The bad news is the black flies also enjoy rain and are back. And they’re hungry. As we do from time to time, Saturday night we wandered down to the shore of Lake Superior with our daughter to enjoy the view and toss a few rocks in the water. Two minutes later we ran back to the house for bug spray heavy on the DEET and spread it on thick. Five minutes after that we made a breathless, tactical retreat indoors. Sunday morning, just trying to get into the car with our three-year old daughter was like a Hitchcock movie. Midday Sunday our family wandered to the beach once again to skip rocks. This time we were dressed for it, socks pulled over long pants, long sleeves, hats. We also doubled up on that bug spray. We lasted sixty seconds, if that. Sunday evening, we were INSIDE at a restaurant. Much to the annoyance of my wife and the staff, I personally killed (this is not an exaggeration) thirty black flies at my table. Outside on the patio resembled a beautiful, if apocalyptic scene, not one soul was willing to fight for a table. Tis the season. The black fly, also known as the stable fly, looks like a house fly but make no mistake: this bug is out for flesh of man or beast. There are five to six generations a year. They are active from May to October, but they seem to be at their worst in July/August here on the North Shore. So, I went shopping. The nice lady at the hardware store said I was the tenth person there looking for help with flies. Good news: According to the EWG, DEET in lower concentrations, is a safe repellant. Bad news: DEET does not work on black flies. Black flies are incessant, incorrigible, and did I mention they’re hungry. Make no mistake, these flies will eat through your clothes. The question is: What’s to be done about it? I’ve assembled a short list of things that help me through in this uncertain time. How to make it through fly season? 1) Complain your heart away. Everyone seems to enjoy venting and swapping their good black fly horror stories. One time a swarm flew off with our picnic basket; 2) Seek new terrain. We visited one spot. The beach was uninhabitable – The trail inland was fine; 3) Cower. While the gesture is unproductive, humility is good; 4) Run. You cannot outrun these guys, but you will lose a few of them because they’re either lazy or not very bright; 5) The old-fashioned fly swatter is effective. Have one or two or three handy. 6) Patience is key. Give it a few days. Their numbers will dwindle. While one fly is still annoying, at least it’s a fair fight.
Some weapons used in battle against black flies. They look impressive, but a giant swarm will leave a two-handed fly-swatting person going mad in the fight for peace against the nemesis that is the black fly.
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