Re: [nafex] Black Flies

["victoria l. caron" <vicaron@gis.net>]

Helene,
Do you have Avon products in Canada? If you do, the Skin-So-Soft bath
oil is the best ever for black flies. It is a big seller for the black
fly season here because it is so effective, much better than any of the
'deep woods' type repellents. I use it for the horses and dogs too. Just
float a couple of ounces in an small bottle of water (like a water
bottle) shake and use. It does not mix with water, but the water helps
spread it so you don't need so much. If you can't find any let me know
and I will send you some.
For those of you lucky enough to not have black flies, here is a quick
comparison to mosquitoes. Mosquitoes inject a little blood thinner then
suck our blood like right up a straw. Black flies on the other hand
actually chop/chew a hole in our skin and proceed to mix their saliva
and blood thinning enzymes with our blood until they have made a big
bloody mess. They then feed on this spilling blood. Believe it or not,
this is not as easily felt as a mosquito's little bite, so the blood
often continues to flow without clotting and you finally notice it as it
trickles down. These bites often cause anywhere from localized swelling
to general allergic reactions. Luckily, except in extensively wooded
areas, the black fly season lasts anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks depending
on the weather that year. A hot late spring will often 'burn them off.'
vic zone 3 NH


"H.Dessureault" wrote:

>  Here in zone 3, the bark is getting loose on the apple trees and buds
> are starting to swell, as we had a few days of clement temperature. I
> started grafting this morning which is very early for me as I usually
> graft around the time when the apple trees are getting close to
> blooming (2nd to 3rd week of May), also the time of black flies (sic)
> which can be quite ferocious around here sometimes. Anyone who has
> ever struggle to complete a graft with a cloud of black flies hovering
> in front as well as in the eyes, will know what I am talking about.
> You just feel like running away after a while, and too much protective
> clothing and nets are cumbersome and annoying. For a few years, I have
> used an old fashion solution, a smokey fire. Since I almost started a
> grass fire one year through a hole at the bottom of an old enamel
> container converted into a portable fire pot (supposedly for safety
> reason), I now use a beekeeper's smoker. Safe, easy to move around,
> last a while without much attention, and works wonder to keep the
> multitude at bay.A friend insists that I am grafting too late (I go by
> the book) so I decided to spread the effort over a few weeks this time
> (a few grafts now and then) and maybe keep, not a thorough record, but
> at least a rough idea through percentage of take.This morning I
> realized that there is an added bonus in grafting early... No black
> flies. Hélène in Québec
>
>
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