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Mosquitoes in Maine?

gadangit

Member III
We have lots of mosquitoes here in Galveston Bay and we have been driven from anchorages by the buzzing hordes on a couple of occasions. Closing up the boat is not an option when the water and air is 88 degrees with insane humidity levels.
What do the cruisers do up in the Maine cruising grounds? Totally enclose the cockpit with netting? Do any of the fancy devices like Thermacell work? No see ums, deerflies, black flies, are they just as bad?
Let me know how you have prepped your boat...
Chris
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Same general Latitude here, but other side of the continent.... we have anchored out where the hordes of skeeters came out to feed at dusk, on us.
We found that burning a 'citronella' candle in its cute little bucket really does keep them away. Works inside the boat and, depending on breeze, out in the cockpit. Not a 100% answer, but it does work. Humans do not find the odor irritating, in general.
And then there are the commercial products with XX % of Deet in them, and that works too.

We have (normally, except in August sometimes) less absolute heat and humidity than you, so some of our solutions may be due to the 'luck of geography' more than science.
Good luck!
 

gadangit

Member III
Hi Loren-
Having moved from the PNW and spent a lot of time in the great outdoors, we didn't find the mosquito problem to be too bad. Generally, even in August, we were wearing jeans and even a fleece after dark. A couple spritzes of deet and you were good to go. Ain't nobody wearing jeans or even a long sleeve shirt in August here. Full sweaty exposure is all you got.

The plan right now is to try to spend some time in Maine this summer, hence the post title. But obviously mosquitoes are a universal scourge!!!
Chris
 

kapnkd

kapnkd
We have lots of mosquitoes here in Galveston Bay and we have been driven from anchorages by the buzzing hordes on a couple of occasions. Closing up the boat is not an option when the water and air is 88 degrees with insane humidity levels.
What do the cruisers do up in the Maine cruising grounds? Totally enclose the cockpit with netting? Do any of the fancy devices like Thermacell work? No see ums, deerflies, black flies, are they just as bad?
Let me know how you have prepped your boat...
Chris

Loren beat me to it with the candles but before them, we used to burn the mosquito coils (not as pleasant a smell as the candles but better than mosquito bites).

Screens for the cabin openings, being careful to keep them closed....and getting them up BEFORE the mosquitoes arrive is the best way.

Used to reside in Sarasota, FL and in cruising the 10,000 Islands area South of Marco Island...at dusk - even a half mile offshore - we could hear them buzzing!! We’d set up the screening, light the coils and minimize lighting that attracts them. More than once we’ve had to move our anchorage further and further out trying to avoid those vampire critters!

(Noah should have swatted those two mosquitos when he had the chance!)
 

supersailor

Contributing Partner
Have not seen any of those critters since we moved here in 2007. Been thinking we should make up some screens for when we go way up north again. I'm about as unprepared for mosquitos as the US is for corona virus.
 

supersailor

Contributing Partner
Once upon a time, I sailed out of Ventura a bunch. Don't remember Mosquitos. However, when I sailed out of Key Largo, we got aerial sprayed twice a day.
 

supersailor

Contributing Partner
I forgot to say that mosquito netting did a pretty good job on the mosquitos but it didn't even slow down the no-see-ums. The skitters got the wife and the no-see-ums got me. We elected not to live there.
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
When I was growing up, all the cherry orchards were sprayed with malathion every seven days, by aerial application. Everyone made sure to ask the pilot to make a pass over the house, to keep the skeeters down. And of course they hit the county park, as a favor. Nowadays, of course, that’s all strictly taboo. The beach where I used to hang out after work is now completely uninhabitable. I beached the Hobie in there one time and couldn’t get it turned around fast enough!

But the worst is up in the mountains, during snowmelt. We’ve had to set up the tent for lunch, just so we could uncover our faces enough to eat.
 

frick

Member III
I picked up on ebay a roll of mil-spec netting. it nice and stiff so you can cut sew and edge around it, pop in some snaps and it goes under the main forward hatch and out side the companion way, it work in NY.

Rick
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
I have read that changing anchorages is often the best solution. Apparently insect swarms are localized by terrain and wind direction. I did this once, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and the relief was immediate. In the morning, at the new location, there were cows wading around the boat. So--look for cows? Or maybe not....
 

tenders

Innocent Bystander
An early-morning cow attack might be just as bad as the mosquitos. Haven‘t planned much for THAT contingency.
 

markvone

Sustaining Member
The plan right now is to try to spend some time in Maine this summer, hence the post title. But obviously mosquitoes are a universal scourge!!!

Chris,

How will you determine which week will be "Summer" in Maine this year? or are you planning to stay for all the calendar summer months? :)

Mark
 

gadangit

Member III
It's always sunny on SolAire!! :)
This national panic is cramping my style, but I'm hoping to spend Jul-Sept, so all of them. The house is sold, the business is idling sufficiently, just got to get the heck out of here. Wrapping up some things now, I hope to get to FL in May.
 
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