Isle Royale Forums

Can anyone provide an update on what the bugs have been like in the past couple of days? Thanks. We going on a trip second week in September so I am trying to get a feel for what things are like. Even though we still have 2.5 weeks before we depart.

As of last weekend and only referring to near the Big Lake, there were only moderate mozzy's for a couple hours during the evening.

Heading up Sunday, I'll try to give you an update when I get back next weekend. Just hoping the forecast stays nice for my redemption trip so the boat can make it across on the first attempt.

Hey, just following up. I put bug spray on 1 time while on the island for a week and that was when fishing Chickenbone at sundown. The leaches are pretty fierce and there were a ton of bees everywhere, but they never became a problem.

Thanks for the recent update. I read Spartan's Trip Report for last week and he did not encounter any bugs either. I think I'm going to leave the bug dope at home when I leave next week

Any recent updates? I will be leaving on Saturday?

I haven't had boots on the ground since Aug. 21st so I can't speak of bugs this coming week. I have ,however, heard rumors of a rabid bull moose with a family of Gosshawks living in his antlers going after pairs of hikers. Sort of like a wilderness aircraft carrier.

As long as the shelters are open and I don't have to ask rangers for keys to padlocks, I can deal with the rabid moose and aggresive goshawks...thank you for your concern though Dro. You are too kind with always sharing your insider information with me

I do think with our cooler weather now bugs will be of little concern in the coming week.

I was there the week of Aug. 27 - kayaking the coast instead of hiking, but I think I counted ten mosquitos the whole trip and no flys. It could be different in the interior.

what about ticks in October? I bet the skeeters are all dead by now, but this article http://www.jsonline.com/features/29256589.html talks about "winter ticks" - never heard that term before.

Feel free to call me out here and if I am wrong I hope someone does, but I belive there are no ticks that feed on humans on Isle Royale.

Ticks are only an issue for the moose as they are not interested in people.

greg wrote:Ticks are only an issue for the moose as they are not interested in people.

Well when you really get down to it we're not all that interesting!

fishmonger wrote:what about ticks in October? I bet the skeeters are all dead by now, but this article http://www.jsonline.com/features/29256589.html talks about "winter ticks" - never heard that term before.

Winter ticks afix themselves to the moose usually in October and live off their "host" throughout winter. In April, they drop off. If there is a good cold snap in April or lots of snow, this curtails the pesky winter tick population.
There can be tens of thousands of ticks on a moose. The ticks cause the moose to scratch which can cause the moose to loose patches of fur. Some moose, already suffering from malnutrition, with exposed skin will freeze to death.

Winter ticks do not utilize humans as hosts.