As year-round Adirondack resident I consider the black flies to be my friends. If not for them, and the mosquitoes, deer flies and long winters, everyone would want to live here. Even so, our friendship works best at a distance and, luckily, we can use our giant human brains to outsmart them.
A first line of defense it to plan a route that matches the conditions. If it's hot and humid a low elevation trail that meanders among swamps and ponds might not be the best choice. If there’s a breeze, a route that is open to that breeze will be a good bet. If it’s chilly, get out early when the little buggers are too cold to fly. And so on. The bugs like it to be warm and still. For best results pick a route or activity that avoids that.
wear light-colored clothing and a light-colored hat. Forget about fashion this really helps. Deer flies, in particular, are drawn to dark colors.
Black Flies: Black flies 'usually' appear in early May and fade away by the 4th of July. Insect repellents are effective against black flies, so apply as necessary. You don’t need some crazy 100% DEET repellent. That stuff will melt plastic and ruin the lenses on your camera or phone. The standard repellents works just fine. If want to stay away from the DEET based repellents there are eucalyptus based alternatives. These work as well.
Black flies are weak fliers, tiny wings and all. So pick a route where you can catch a breeze and move along at a good pace. You’ll hardly be bothered.
Mosquitoes: Mosquitoes are most annoying from early June through the end of August. Mosquitoes don’t live very long, and they need stagnant water to reproduce. So when it dries out in late summer their numbers are reduced. That said, mosquitoes can be troublesome early or late if it warms up. So be prepared from May through September.
As with black flies, insect repellents are effective against mosquitoes and picking a good route is also important. Exploring a boreal swamp on a calm, humid day in July can easily become an experience you will never forget.
Deer Flies: Deer flies are those iridescent yellow-green flies, somewhat like house files, but bigger, that like to buzz around your head. They start to be annoying in mid-June and they are usually gone by Labor Day.
Insect repellents less effective against deer flies, and they can fly faster than you can run, so how do you keep them from biting?
Luckily, they are dumber than doorknobs. Just swat them. To reduce the number you have to kill wear a light-colored hat. Seriously. With no hat, or a dark hat, a person walking through the woods will attract a cloud of deer flies.
Ticks: The ticks that carry Lyme Disease and other nasty tick diseases have not typically been a problem in the Adirondacks. However, the region is literally surrounded by areas where ticks are a problem, so that might not last. A little bit of vigilance would be wise.
We won't go into all the ins and outs of dealing with ticks here, there are numerous sources of information on how to avoid ticks and what to do if you do find one on your body. If you do find a tick hitching a ride, don’t panic. Take the time to read up on the best ways to pry them lose. And don’t rely on “common knowledge” like smearing Vaseline on them, or burning them off with a match. Both of those methods have been shown to INCREASE the chance that you will get infected if the tick is carrying some pathogen. I used to live in Saratoga County where ticks are numerous and I’ve been using the inexpensive but highly effective O’Tom Tick Twister for years. Get a tick twister and read the directions. If you pull the tick off without squashing it, most of the time it won’t transmit any disease even if it is carrying one.