Re: mosquito season predictions for 2012?

Any predictions on mosquito season at Tuolumne meadows this year? Assuming the weather won't change much (from being quite dry), I predict that the mosquito season will be earlier this year, density will be much lower than usual and that July will be quite free and clear. Hopefully.

I predict that our longer backpack trip we always take around July 4th will, instead of
like the previous 2 years where we had NO mosquitoes and LOTS of snow, be
turned around 180 degrees. (We both MUCH MUCH MUCH prefer the former)

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So what would Young's Lake area look like say third week of June?

on a scale of 1 to 10

(that's my snow smiley) on a scale of 1 to 10

GJ, I'd expect mosquitoes in my pancakes.

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chick-on
GJ, I'd expect mosquitoes in my pancakes.

Thanks chick-on, I'll have to push my plans into Sept. My kid gets bit even w/ deet..

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rpf123

Any predictions on mosquito season at Tuolumne meadows this year? Assuming the weather won't change much (from being quite dry), I predict that the mosquito season will be earlier this year, density will be much lower than usual and that July will be quite free and clear. Hopefully.

Mosquito season NEVER comes early to the Yosemite high country. It can be delayed by excess snow (like last year), but in years when there has been a dearth of snow, the mosquitos do NOT show up early.

Expect them to start showing up in Tuolumne Meadows no later than the 2nd week of June and peaking in the first two weeks of July UNLESS – like last year – there's still a lot of snow on the ground in and around Tuolumne Meadows in June.

But in normal or even light snowfall years, they start becoming active in early June and peaking during the first two weeks of July.
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It's not just water; cold is a big factor as well.

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eeek

It's not just water; cold is a big factor as well.

In possibly delaying the onset of mosquito season (the ice on the lakes, ponds, and streams need to melt), but an early warm spring and early summer doesn't appear to quicken the return of the mosquitos to Yosemite's high country, compared to normal spring and summers.

Regardless of what type of winter or spring it has been. I've never experienced any noticeable amount of mosquitos around Tuolumne Meadows or elsewhere in the Yosemite high country in May.
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Allow me to report my super-duper anti-mosquito set-up. REI nylon pants (any will do)--that are also sun-blocking and that skeeters can't poke through; permethrinized base layer shirt; shell jacket or Houdini wind shirt that also blocks bites; and best of all--a drape sun-hat that serves beautifully to block skeeters--and of course the sun. You could say that it looks dorky--most do--or you could say that it has a certain desert flair. In any case, you can wrap that puppy up all around your face when you enter a cloud, and then let it hang when all's clear. I did treat mine with permethrin last year but I'm going to skip that this season because I think that the drape alone will stop enough of the skeeters to work. And then finally I have a bug net for in camp. The nice thing about the hat is that it doesn't interfere with your vision. Lastly I use sun-grubbies (very thin fingerless gloves) for my hands. So this is all deet-free and chemical free except for the permethrin on my hiking shirt. You might change your shirt for sleeping if that's an option. All in all I don't mind the mosquitoes now nearly as much as I used to.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/2012 08:43AM by hegel.