Isle Royale Forums

Hi there,

I will be leaving for IRNP on June 13 for a week of backpacking on the eastern end. This will be my third trip to the island, but I haven't been there since 1999. Looking at trip reports from last year, it seemed as thought the black flies were just beginning to emerge in mid-June. Does anyone have a sense as to whether it might be wishful thinking for me to kind of hope that the late ice melt this year will mean that the black fly hatch will be a bit later this year? I know last spring had some late snow too, so that might have been pretty similar, actually.

Thanks for any insights!

I was there a week earlier than you last year. There was only about two Mosquitos the entire trip for us. There were still a few piles of snow in the north facing slopes.

I think it'll have much more to do with how warm the days are the next 30 days. If they are warmer than average then they'll likely be out. Bottom line I'd plan on them and if none are found it'll be a bonus

We will aslo be there that week... on a west end trip.

I hope you are right but I wouldnt count on it... the average weekly temperature is only a couple degees below normal, but as tight lines said it will depend on what it does from now on to get the eggs going. Ive been watching it here http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/maps/current/i ... egion=MRCC

Welcome to the forums!

Thanks for the quick feedback and the climate tracking resource! I'm excited to get back to the island, and I've never been there in the spring. I am hoping that mid June, while risky for insects, is going to provide great opportunities to spot spring wildflowers.

refuge wrote:Thanks for the quick feedback and the climate tracking resource! I'm excited to get back to the island, and I've never been there in the spring. I am hoping that mid June, while risky for insects, is going to provide great opportunities to spot spring wildflowers.

Mosquitoes may be a problem particualrly inland. Wildflowers should be great. Looking forward to some wildflower pics. We are going out on the 31st and bacj 6/8, I will post an update on weather, bugs, wildflowers ect.

Great! I will look forward to reading your trip report. Mosquitoes I can handle. It's the black flies that make me go a bit nuts.

FYI, I spoke with the folks at the Rock Harbor Lodge today and was told that everything on the island is about three weeks behind this spring. I asked if they thought that the insects would be late too. Sounds like there have actually already been mosquitoes out, but they're a different, larger species than the one that normally hatches. And they're also sluggish, not really too aggressive. Apparently those are already starting to disappear.

I asked about whether the black fly hatch might be delayed, and they said it was hard to know. What I did hear is that everything inland is going to be generally warmer (and therefore buggier) sooner.

Still have a tiny hope that we might make it there before the black flies, but we'll see. Temps have been higher than average this week, so I'm worried that by June 13 there will already be a healthy population of all things buzzing about.

For anyone still tracking on this topic, I found this article which seems to suggest that a late ice-out actually INCREASES numbers of black flies. Time will tell on our trip but I'm mentally preparing for the worst.
http://www.wpr.org/loons-abandon-their- ... -wisconsin