# Main Salmon Bugs and Bee's?



## brilittle (Apr 26, 2018)

How are the bugs and bee's on the Main Salmon? Anyone have a current report?
We put on next week, I am trying to decide if I should bring a screen tent. We will have 5 kids under 10 years of age...


THANKS!


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## spencerhenry (Jun 21, 2004)

Why the apostrophe in bees?


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## heyben (Aug 14, 2016)

I've also got a launch next week and am curious for an update on bugs and any other recent trip news. Can't wait to get on the river!


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## MontanaLaz (Feb 15, 2018)

Replying so I can follow along. We don't launch for another 3 weeks.


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## MontanaLaz (Feb 15, 2018)

Bump 

Anybody come off the Main in the last week and care to share?


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

I have friends who are coming off Saturday. I'll ask


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## Grifgav (Jun 20, 2011)

Came off the main this past Sunday. The yellow jackets are a constant presence at most camps, but aren't particularly aggressive or in huge numbers. We had one or two bites, but nothing terrible.


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## MontanaLaz (Feb 15, 2018)

Thanks! Always helps to whittle down the list of unknowns


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## fdon (Jul 23, 2008)

Off last Friday. Yellow jackets in camp but only one bite. Green-headed flys were a pia. No ticks or skeeters to be found.


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## Skippy (May 20, 2006)

Just got off Saturday. I thought they were bad & so did the kids. I would bring the screen tent. Also a Kitchen tarp, commercials
recommended yellow jacket traps at camp.


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## MontanaLaz (Feb 15, 2018)

Thanks for the heads up.

One member of our group with half a dozen Main trips under their belt is advocating for putting the garbage bag out as an attractant and having that live well away from the rest of camp.

Do you think that would help or do I just go for the traps?


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## brilittle (Apr 26, 2018)

*Yellow Jackets*

We just got off Saturday as well.

I thought the yellow jackets were in full force. We had 5 kids, two got stung and one was stung twice. Of the adults (11) I think 7 were stung at least once and a couple twice (more time around the food).

It was interesting, they would be there as soon as you pulled out any food. Sitting on the boat ended up being the best option, or just walking while you ate. 

It was not all of the camps, we had two without many issues. A bit of wind sure did help!

If you used a screen tent you would really have to be careful when opening it up to be sure you were not letting anything in...

I would bring the traps next time, not sure how much it would really help however. Keep in mind these are yellow jackets and not honey bees. They are a bit more aggressive...

What we were told is as the reserved camps are occupied almost every night they just stick around to wait for a meal... Smaller or less popular sites have fewer issues.

Overall a wonderful trip.


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## malmsmith (Mar 19, 2018)

One additional helpful practice is a diluted clorox rinse of your table tops.

Frequently the critters will fly into a soda or beer can and string you when you take a sip. My son experienced this insightful lesson.

The requirement to dump strained water above the high water mark is partly to blame imo.


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## MontanaLaz (Feb 15, 2018)

Anyone have any first hand experience with peppermint oil as a deterrent? I found a lot of good discussion about it on gardening forums but haven't talked to anyone who can actually say whether or not it works.


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## 82371 (Jul 11, 2020)

spencerhenry said:


> Why the apostrophe in bees?


To stoke idle minds?


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

As long as we're responding to a 2-year old thread, Yellow jackets are not bees. They are winged assholes.


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