I've got a big beef!!! And big bug problem!

[GettinAway]

This thread is interesting. We’ve never encountered a serious problem with Noseeums. However, we’ve only camped one week in the FL panhandle, and that was a spring break trip. Most of our trips have been west. Escaping the Missouri heat and humidity. However, we did run into small gnats that came through the screens on our trip around Lake Superior, but they didn’t bite, just were there, and not welcome. We just kept lighting to a minimum in the trailer while we were inside. Still spent most of the time outside (with a thermacell going for mosquitoes) while we were in camp.
We encountered really biting noseeums on top of Harney Peak in SD many years ago, but were back there a few months ago, and they were nowhere to be found.
Where’s the worst part of the country, and at what time of year, for noseeums? If it’s Florida in the summer, I don’t think it’ll be a huge problem for us.
But retirement is months away, and our usual getaway trips are really going to change to exploring the rest of the US and Canada. I’m going to find some “Permethrin” (Thank you Jerry) and keep it handy.
Worst bites I’ve had are from black flies. The bites seem to stay around 100x longer than a mosquito bite, and bother me 10x more.

[Ray Eklund]

No-See-Uum's.... Bahh Humbug.

In the Midwest they would no doubt compete with:

Chiggers... the competing 'King of Pests'. Mosquitos, no doubt, even fear them more than I.

[Protagonist]

Possibly the easiest fix for flying insects inside your Airstream is to run your exhaust fans on the highest speed they have, and remove any screens on the fans. Flying insects generally don't like to fly upwind, and so they will fly in the same general direction that the wind is blowing. So you make your own wind inside the Airstream to blow them back outside.


I haven't tried this with no-see-ums because I haven't encountered them in my Airstream, but it works fine for skeeters, horseflies, houseflies, fruit flies, and love bugs.

[rmkrum]

Chiggers are the absolute worst. Had a patch of beautiful black raspberry vines in the back corner of the yard. Problem was that was where the chiggers lived.
Daughter and I got eaten by chiggers every time. And of course the bites itch for weeks...