I Hate Bugs

Last summer, we bought a small cabin on a lake in Minnesota.  We are going to rehab it this summer.  It’s not a super high-end expensive rehab.  We bought some stuff on Craigslist, and the rest at IKEA or Home Depot.  The problem with Minnesota in the early spring is bugs.  Specifically, black flies.  I hate them.  Mosquitoes are easy to deal with.  We use spray repellent and coils that we light.  The coils work great.  My brother in law from Alaska introduced them to me.

In years past, we would not head north until the dragonflies came out.  Literally, the day after they emerge, they decimate the black fly population.  I love dragonflies and don’t consider it a bug!  I also like mayflies on a river, since they help me fool a trout into taking my line.

We are looking for things to keep the black flies away.  You can’t do much with your hands swirling about your body trying to keep them off you.  We not only have some inside work to do, but we have some outside work to do as well.  My wife found permethrin that supposedly works.  You put it on a bandanna and it is supposed to keep them away.

Has anyone used anything successfully to keep away the biting black fly?