Bugs in summer?

We%26#39;ve booked a place on Lake Vermillion in the northern part of the state. Part of the Northern Boundary waters I think. We%26#39;ll be staying at Ludlow%26#39;s Island for a week in mid-July.

We%26#39;re from So. California and have never done a ';lake vacation'; before, but now we are worried as all of our cousins in Iowa and So. Dakota are laughing that we%26#39;ll enjoy our trip if we like being overwhelmed by bugs.

They tell us we won%26#39;t be able to do anything because of the mosquitoes, flies and gnats. I%26#39;ve been reading posts about Ludlow island and other lake areas and no one mentions a huge bug issue... is this a real problem? Will we be miserable?

Our vacation rental has a screened porch and i assumed we%26#39;d like that in the evenings, but now I%26#39;m just worried that we%26#39;ll spend our days swatting instead of swimming....

Can anyone tell me what they think?

Bugs in summer?

I think you had better get some insect repellant! Make sure it has Deet as an ingredient.

Bugs in summer?

Ditto on the deet. If they don%26#39;t have bugspray with deet where you are, they will for sure have it in stores here. Maybe bring some anti-itch cream too for when you do get bites. There is a campground in southern MN that mysteriously has no bugs, but that is the only place that I know of like that. Depending on who wrote the reviews that you%26#39;ve been reading could be why bugs are not mentioned. We are used to them here. Lots of them. Especially near water. Not being able to do anything because of bugs is quite an exaggeration. My home is surrounded by woods on 3 sides and waterfront on the other and I thoroughly enjoy my summers outside despite the bugs. You should be fine when you are swimming or on the boat. Don%26#39;t let them get to you!

for sure Deet is awesome...

another trick is AVON skin so soft...

for somereason, it works. not so good smelling, but.. what repellant is?

also, if you have campfires, the smoke is usually a good repellant alone, and the screen should do the trick, just make ESPECIALLY sure that the door remains closed.

the only time youre gonna notice a LOT of bugs is when you walk through the grass and unsettle them all..

also, if you go camping at all (in tents), stay away from any settled bodies of water.. (even if its a large puddle, cause thats where the bloodsuckers breed)

other than that, the scenery is WELL worth the mosquitoes its beautiful, and i am sure you will have a great time!

Ditto on the bug spray with DEET. The mosquitos are only active at dusk and dawn. Perhaps you should plan your dinners so that you%26#39;ll be inside at that time of evening. Once it gets dark the mosquitos will abate.

I doubt you%26#39;ll be miserable, although it%26#39;s impossible to avoid a few bites. There is some stuff you can buy called ';After Bite';. It comes in a little tube and you dab it on your bite and it really takes away the itch.

Enjoy your trip, it%26#39;s a beautiful place. The summers are awesome in No Minnesnowta!

Julie

1) The Mosquito is the state bird

2) Minnesota is the only state where you can be bit by a mosquito while shoveling snow.

Seriously, unless it has been terribly wet it should not be that bad in July.

Also don%26#39;t forget that it gets dark very late and light very early up here in the norther plains.

In July you are looking at close to 15 hours of sunlight.

According to my handy dandy Minnesota Wetherguide Calendar on July 15 in Minneapolis Sounrise is 5:41am and sunset is 8:56. Up the Boundary waters you can add about 10 more minutes of sunshine.

Don%26#39;t worry - If you had said May I would have told you to bring armour

Great advice from the others. The last couple of summers it has been pretty dry in July and the mosquitoes have just not been a problem. The gnats/sandflies are usually gone by then too. During the day you should have no problem with the mosquitoes as long as you are in the sun, but they will be there at night, so some bug spray is a good idea. A good breeze off of the lake usually does the trick too. If its a still night, they will be there though. The biting flies usually can get bad up here too, but usually they are worse in August- to the point that you can%26#39;t be in a boat without them driving you crazy! But they don%26#39;t like bug spray either. So no, you will NOT be miserable. Just take some precautions and you will be just fine. Plus, the natural beauty of this area will make you forget that there are a few mosquitoes around!