A common question we receive is, "How are the bugs this year?" Glad to report that the black flies are relatively light this year, and the mosquitos are off to a slow start, too. Probably had to do with the lingering cold weather. Somebody said they saw snow flakes Tuesday of this week.

Over the past few weeks Donn de Yampert has provided many excellent shots of subjects here in the U.P. Check out last week's WOW for one of my personal favorites.

I started itching as soon as I saw this picture. Must be some kind of Pavlovian response for native Yoopers.

That one's just a baby. I remember growing up my grandfather called them "Chickitoes" (Half chicken/Half Mosquito) due to there size, and because when you walk outside they would swarm you as the chickens do when its feeding time. :-)

I was in the Harbor last weekend, and the black flies wanna eat you alive. They are just as nasty as they are any other year.

Bring the bug dope. But if you forget, and get all bit up and then itchy...just rub liquid handsoap on the bites. That stops the itch immediately! Works great! And it helps with cleanup too!

Nothing like a nice, long, HOT sauna to get rid of the itch of bug bites!!! No electric stoves for me, though.

talk about saunas.we use to go every saturday when we were kids.it was heated by a rock stove.

I can remember times, especially after getting a car or truck stuck in the woods, when the bugs were so thick that you would have to put a towel around your head just to keep them out of your eyes, nose and mouth. Rice Lake, Little Traverse and the Keweenaw point beyond Copper Harbor all come to mind. One of the last years that I lived in the UP, some guy escaped from jail and fled into the woods. He came out and turned himself in after one day because he said the bugs were worse than being in jail! Still, I can't wait to be there, on vacation, swatting them in 3 weeks.

If we do not get statehood with the chickitoes as the state bird then it should definitly be the biting black fly!!!!!!