In my humble opinion, black flies are the worst blood-sucking vampires on the face of the earth! They come out at the end of spring every year and descend upon Lake Placid like locusts. Thankfully they only last for 2 to 4 weeks.
Black fly Courtesy of Cincinature
Since they love damp areas and incubate in swamps and forests, they make Lake Placid their home – especially when it’s been raining like crazy.
Luckily, there are some great sprays you can use to protect yourself from them when you’re working in the yard or planting flowers. I highly recommend Wildwood spray – it’s a natural spray that you can buy in the north country Adirondacks.
Aloe vera and witch hazel can also be useful to shield yourself from them. Amazon has a lot of products for dealing with black flies too. And the Farmer’s Almanac has some good tips for avoiding them.
Here’s a fun little video to round out your black fly “education!”
