Mosquitoe Moon phase

Not sure if this holds true but apparently mosquitoes are 500 more times likely to bite during a full moon cycle. Just wondering what everyone elses take on this is..
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/bugs-animals/other-bugs/mosquito.html
I usually try to plan my trips in mid August to avoid there annual festival. However, this year I can't wait so I'm going in early. I can't stand them, but I'm going in!!!

I haven't noticed a real differance other than a full moon might give them more light so they can be active later. I find that about an hour of so after dark the worst of the little blood suckers are gone. I would invest in a cheap head net I picked one up thats packs down to the size of a 35mm film cansiter for a couple bucks. I do alot of spring hiking and find this really saves my sanity when I'm out during the spring peak

ditto.. Yes, they're annoying, but where I come from they're annoying *all the time* in season. I haven't noticed any difference with the moon. Deet and a cheap headnet.

I understand it's the temperature that rules when any insects are active. On a really warm, still night, mosquitoes will attack all night regardless of the moon. If it gets cool, they will go away sooner and return when it starts to warm up the next morning.

In addition to a headnet and Deet, get some permethrin spray to use on your clothing (zaps mosquitoes trying to bite through your clothing and also zaps any ticks that might be crawling around) and the netting of your tent before the trip. (For the latter, it zaps the ones that cluster around the tent door waiting for you to emerge). I've had good results with "Repel" Permanone. It lasts for several washings.

When I lived in Illinois there was a scientist at NIU that created a method for a "Mosquito Forecast". When I first heard of this I was very skeptical, but I listened to his forecast and waited to see if he was accurate.

I was impressed. If he said the skeeters would be thick, they were, and if he said they'd be light, they were. As I recall, it had to do with the temps and days of wet weather followed by days of dry weather (or vice/versa). I don't recall anything about the moon cycles affecting hatches, but it certainly may. He did say there were lot's of different species of mosquitos and they would hatch depending on the variations of those conditions. In fact, a breed for almost any combination of them. Some breeds were more voracious than others though, and he would include that info in his forecast.

We don't have many mosquitos here, so I've never used it, but now, you can get a Mosquito Forecast at Weather.com

Interesting that someone came up with a forecast, problem is, like the weather, it's always changing. Seems like a full moon would encourage them to breed and by the time they hatch the moon would be gone. But then they hatch by the billions everyday so I might as well accept them as part of the adventure. As always, head net and some sort of repellent is a must, just need to remember to eat inside the tent with my head net off <<<duh.. I've always found mid August is when there numbers go way down but this is also peak season for people so I guess fight the relentless hoards of those little blood suckers once again.



http://www.control-mosquitoes.com/

You can always go before they hatch I kind of like getting out in late march to mid may. the crowds haven't been out yet so the spring flora and fauna are easier to spot and the waterfalls normally have the best flows of the year. The skeeters normally haven't hatched or come out of hibernation yet. I also like later in the fall late October to early December can also have some really good bug and crowd free hiking. and if you enjoy fishing can be well worth it to hit early seasons

While I don't know anything about whether moon phases change mosquito voracity, I do know that since starting using Sawyer time release stuff this summer in Alaska during peak mosquito time, I have mentioned it anytime mosquitoes have come up. This stuff works wonders. Put it on (a thin coat goes a long way), and you are completely covered for hours on end. When my headnet got too stifling because I was working up a sweat, or I needed to roll up my sleeves for the same reason, I'd pull out the sawyer and poof they'd all be gone.

From many years of smacking them, I know a few things mosquitoes like:

-Warm air
-Still air
-The shade or the dark
-Vegetation

As to timing, in the mountains they closely follow the blackflies during meltoff and seem to go through several "pulses" as the season progresses, probably in response to changing conditions and the various species' hatch schedules. Finally, their water supplies dry up and predator populations keep them in check. Until next season. The moonphase? Never noticed it to have an effect.

Back home, there's seldom a time of year when there are none, but spring and usmmer are worse than fall and winter. It never gets cold enough to kill them off, and many simply hibernate.