Re: Mosquito levels

Heya, I'll be hiking down Yosemite Creek into the Valley next weekend - does anyone know if mosquitos are out in numbers there or around Tuolumne Meadows?

Maybe the park could have something like the Homeland Security Advisory System - red (severe), orange (high), yellow (elevated), blue (guarded), and green (low).

I was around Tuolumne last weekend and the skeeters were brutal. Cover yourself well! They were especially brutal around the Sunrise Lakes trailhead but a little better around TM itself.

Kyle,

Wouldn't you know. I'm arriving in Nevada next Saturday and a day hike to Sunrise Lakes is planned for Sunday before doing some overnighters. Looks like my intro to the skeeter population will be prompt. If anybody sees a guy screaming and flailing his arms about like a lunatic, that's me. Just stay clear and avoid making contact. Incoherancy may be contagious.

Jim

A couple weeks ago camping out, didn't notice skeeters during the day but had the CO2 heater on at night and came up with nasty welts on my arms on Monday morning....have to leave the tent open a little to breathe the heater. And on in they come. Overall tho, skeeters weren't bad at the Postpile campground. This was a couple weeks ago...might be different now as the runoff slows.

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Vince
have to leave the tent open a little to breathe the heater.

Maybe you should just buy a good sleeping bad.

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And on in they come.

They makes these things called screens that come with many tents. They let air flow but keep the pests out.

July = Mosquitos

Good luck Jim.

ALL of the bugs are out of full force! Last weekend it was skeeters; this weekend it was skeeters AND ants!

I just got back from T.M. I spent 5 days there. It's pretty bad. The second I got off my truck to unpack, they swarmed me. I went running for my Deet. They are pretty much there from 9am till the night. I went through almost a can of Deet in 3 days. You also have all the other fun little bugs. You have some that look like small fleas (although they fly). They get on pretty much anything. We went hiking to Cathedral Lake, the hike was nice. A few places were mosquitos were a problem, but nothing like getting near the lake. We were literally running away from the swarm. Even after applying a ton of Deet on us, the mosquitos didn't care... they followed us and pretty much bite the heck out of everyone. Just go prepared with enough Deet, and apply often. Good luck and have fun!

A note on Deet. It will only stop them from biting. They will still swarm around you even land on you but they will not bite where Deet has been applied. Do not expect it to keep them away from you. It won't. Wear a long sleeved shirt and long pants. Spray a little Deet onto the palm of a hand, rub your palms together and smear the Deet all around your face and neck. Then rub the back of your hands. The fabric of your shirt and pants should be a tight weave as they will go right through a knit. One can of OFF lasts me and people I backpack with anywhere from three to five years.

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Old Dude

Thanks y'all, we'll be there with full-on Deet coverage!

so how are the mosquitos in late august?

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soupman77
so how are the mosquitos in late august?

A lot better. Sometimes pretty well gone.

thanks. hope the little buggers are ALL gone by then, if not...it is the outdoors.

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soupman77
thanks. hope the little buggers are ALL gone by then, if not...it is the outdoors.

You should have to search hard to find any in the high country. Can't comment on LYV since I never backpack down to those elevations.

I found some in September last year in SEKI.
And I wasn't searching.

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bill-e-g
I found some in September last year in SEKI.
And I wasn't searching.

Bill, I was just coming back to modify my post re. LYV when I saw your input.

My son and I were bugged by some in Kings down at 5k in early October for about the first two (flat, sunny) miles after starting out at Roads End. They disappeared after we got under the tree canopy and started gaining elevation.