2011 Skeeter Reports

[gary c.]

Dinkey Lakes 7/23 to 7/26 - 2 at Mystery Lake where we camped and worse the higher we went to day hike the upper lakes. Two different sets of hikers moved down to Mystery lake while we were there to get away from the skeeters at the higher lakes.

VVR, 7/26 - 2

Devels Bath tub, 7/27 to 7/30 - 2 the entire time we were there.

[copeg]

July 28-13

Lower Dusy Basin: 3-4
Upper Dusy Basin: 1-2
Palisade Basin: 1-2
Bishop Pass Trail (east side): 3+ during the day (only hiked through so take this rating with a grain of salt. If I stopped and there wasn't a breeze they swarmed like mad)

[ManOfTooManySports]

Rae Lakes Loop, July 24 -30.

At camps, meadows and stream crossings, level 2-3 for the whole trip. Wind was a break from the skeeters.

On the drier parts of the trail, level 0-2 depending on elevation (higher is better), breeze, and proximity to water.

[LAA]

Any guesses as to the probable skeeter situation in mid-Sept?

Lyell Canyon
Rock Creek drainage (over 9000')
Big Pine Lakes

Thx,
LAA

[SSSdave]

Ebbetts Pass region generally 1 or 2. Only applied sunscreen then DEET atop at dawn each day. Saturday afternoon, temp of about 75d minor breeze, layed out wearing just t-shirt in shade of lodgepole making lunch and napping at about 8.5k just 150 feet from a willowly lush stream for a couple hours and just one mosquito visited. Lush meadow early morning before breezes came up, several buzzing about but did not like my DEETy smell.

First time up in the snowy high country this summer since mid June and I'm guessing the odd weather has stunted populations in many areas so that their below normal levels are only going to decrease. A few weeks ago I posted an expectation of major outbreaks as the high country melt peaked leaving lots of standing water. Would speculate there were low numbers of squeets to breed in all that water so it never happened. Earlier in late June through mid July when they might have picked up in numbers, they swarmed up into the high country and tended to die of cold because during clear nights radiation cooling combined with abnormal snow covering the ground created many below freezing nights in the meadow canyon bottom places they tend to thrive in. So put on your t-shirts and enjoy.

[LAA]

Thanks, David! I trust your instincts -- we've corresponded before on SummitPost & CalPhoto, & I am pleased to be the beneficiary of your experience. And, as ever, I look forward to your photos.
LAA from Santa Cruz aka inconsolable on SP.

[maverick]

Taboose Eastern- none
Taboose Western- 1
JMT- 2
Bench Lake- 3

[kpeter]

Third and Fourth Tyee Lakes and Table Mountain--4 or 5. A recent hatch with billowing clouds of them. First and second Tyee Lakes seemed to be below mosquito elevation.

Piute Lake--3-4. They were numerous and persistant in the evening.

Goddard Canyon--1

Evolution Valley--1, but the rain might have temporaily suppressed them when I was there.

Evolution Lake--I encountered none early in the morning, but others complained they had been very bad.

Wanda lake, Muir Pass--none, above snow line.

Upper and lower LeConte canyon--I only passed through in the afternoon and encountered none when I did.

Dusy Switches--2.

Dusy Basin--3 when I passed through in the morning. They were annoying when I stopped to get water.

Long Lake basin. 2-4? I encountered a few as I passed through, but many complained about them and other hikers wore bug hats as they hiked.

[quentinc]

Northern Humphreys Basin - 5. As bad as anything I've encountered.
The equivalent elevation on the other side of the ridge (French Canyon) was a 1, even though the area is full of water. How does this work? The same phenomenon in the Kearsarge area, where north of Glen Pass was awful and south wasn't bad at all.

[KathyW]

Whitney Portal to Guitar Lake this weekend - I think I saw two mosquitoes the whole weekend - I never needed to use bug spray.