We have survived our very long cold and snowy winter. The trees are starting to bud , the daffodils wave their cheerful faces and the Wildlife scurries to build new nests and dens for the next generation!
You gaze out the window at the hopeful, uplifting and colorful vista....what a day! What a day for starting the garden! What a day for raking the yard!
What a day for.......... running, screaming, swatting and seeking shelter! 
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These insidious, irritating, intrusive insects come alive in perfect harmony with the birth of Spring! They flourish in cold, running,Lakes, Rivers and Streams that are swollen with winters melting snows.
Black Flies put the lowly mosquito to shame...they don't simply poke the skin and inject an irritant.....they rip the tissue and cause pain, redness and swelling! OUCH!
Bug repellants have limited effect. A pro-active "dress code" can help. It consists of light colored pants tucked into socks paired with a long sleeve shirt buttoned to the neck...topped off 
.....
With A Hat!! So much for dressing for Spring!
Now Black Flies aren't with us for long. Depending on which part of the State, they torment anywhere from May thru June....here in the Concord NH area they last from the beginning of May (they started this week) to the beginning of June!
So while other parts of the country are camping, fishing, gardening hiking, or just plain sitting outdoors....here in NH, we wait for dark!
AHHHH SPRING !!!
Concord New Hampshire Realtor Local Information
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Joan Mirantz - Joni is a Realtor® with Keeler Family Realtors, a locally owned, Customer Service oriented Firm.
Joan Publishes a monthly Newsletter "Food For Thought" under the pen name Realtor Sherpa.
(Joan also answers to Miz Maven and Miss Joni.)
Joan works in Buyer and Seller Representation with concentrations in the Merrimack Valley Area and towns surrounding Concord NH - the Capital City.
"I love what I do, and it shows in how I do it"
Joan, what an interesting post. I saved my little fly game I came across today just for your post.
FLY GAME
This has to be one of the most different blog topics I think I have ever come across.
Gary...that is what black flys do to me! I become psychologically "unhinged"
I had two septic inspections today and they were out "bigtime"
Joan, They sound just awful! I've heard of cluster flies (and had them once or twice) and they are big and ugly but they don't BITE you....there sound horrible. Aw, just when you should be wearing less, not more.
I love the whole thing, and I especially love the banner.
Bill
Carol...then you can appreciate where I'm coming from. They are a dim memory most of the year but come May....argh!!
Carole...they are, they are horrible! They serve no redeeming purpose except maybe for fish! But they are worse on water and this is fishing season!
You're right Rich..they are like a red ant bite...they hurt and it gets all inflammed! It's sort of like mud season...no one ever talks about it!
Hi Bill...good to see you. You haven't been to visit in a while. I'm glad you like the post...and my new banner! That was a lot of fun to do. I must have time on my hands :-)
William...they are insidious. Any exposed flesh. If you have a shirt tucked in and a small ring of flesh happens to be exposed....you will end up with a line of red bites where ever they could crawl in!
Joan,
We don't have blackflies here in southern Ontario...they start about 50 minutes north of where I live though....especially in areas where there are streams.
I used to be a research biologist and studied ecosystems in a large wetland....it was filled to the brim with horse and deerflies. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING would keep them off of me (not even a bug hat and suit worked). I decided to do what the deer do...I grew antlers (deerflies and horseflies buzz aroudn the highest point on the body due to the carbon dioxide being released from your expiration) by tying a large branch onto the top of my head. It did the trick!!! I did look like a swamp monster though....
((-:
Jo
Are those dang black flies good for anything??? If they try to bite me, they are goners.
Biting flies. When the wind blows off the bay towards the ocean they descend like Satan's legions. On Long Beach Island they have these huge green head flies that resemble helicopters. Now, look what you've done, Joan! You got me itching already. BBBBZZzzzzzzzzz
Yuck! I think I would be miserable up in NH during May and June. If there's a bug in a 100 foot radius, it'll bite me, and no one else around me. :(
Jo...you have to dig deep for a picture of you with the stick on your head...that is too funny! I wonder if that would work for the black flies?
Joan...I think the fish like them...they keep the fishermen away!LOL
Hello Andrew! I think you should write a soliloquy about insects and their attributes! As only you could write it!
Chris...it's like that with me too...we must be extra sweet :-)
Joni, I have experienced being devoured by New England mosquitos, but haven't had the pleasure (to my knowledge) of meeting the black flies. Are they the same as horse flies?
Jo, I am trying to picture you with antlers! I presume the flies were looking for the CO2 from your respiration (I don't want you to expire)... ;o)
Brian
Brian...they usually arrive before the mosquitoes! May-June. No.... horse flys hurt but you can hear them coming! These guys come in a swarm and are just a bit bigger than gnats!
(Isn't that mental picture of Jo a hoot!)