2014 Mosquito Reports

Questions and reports related to Sierra Nevada current and forecast conditions, as well as general precautions and safety information. Trail conditions, fire/smoke reports, mosquito reports, weather and snow conditions, stream crossing information, and more.
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robertseeburger
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6-18 to 6-28 Upper Kern and Lakes near Sierra Crest

Post by robertseeburger »

Almost no mosquitoes at all with one exception
Tyndall Creek none
Wright Creek none
Wallace Creek and Lake....TERRIBLE (4)
Hitchcock Lakes and Arctic Lake none

No logical reason why mosquitoes so much worse on Wallace Creek and Lake while creeks and lakes of similar elevations have none.
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rpb
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Agnew Mead>1000 Is>Garnet Lake 6/26-6/30

Post by rpb »

6/26-6/30 Agnew meadows-Thousand island Lake-Garnet Lake-Shadow Lake area.

6/26 Agnew Meadows - 0. It was raining when we left so no mosquitoes.
6/26 Stayed the night at Thousand Island Lake. - 1. Not many at all but it was still breezy after the storm they had the night before. Spoke to a guy who stayed the previous night and he said that it was so windy his tent almost blew away and had hail/snow. Talked to a few kids who said several of the tents in their group got flooded so I blame the storm for keeping them away.
6/27-6/28 Garnet Lake- solid 3-4. Stayed 2 nights at Garnet Lake and they were the worse there on the whole trip. Solid from sun up to sun down except when we got a welcome breeze.
6/29 - 1. Stayed the night around the JMT/Ediza Lake intersection. Not bad at all. Didn't need a head net.
6/30. 2-3 when hiking back thru Agnew meadows.

I wore RailRiders eco-mesh pants with their Madison river shirt which both have their insect repellent in the fabric coupled with a head net and I only had 4 bites that weren't on my hands. My hiking partner who did not have a head net nor did he use insect repellent counted 113 bites when he got home.
Last edited by maverick on Mon Jul 07, 2014 10:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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jdille
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Minaret Lake, Ediza Loop 7/4 - 7/6

Post by jdille »

7/4 Devil’s Postpile to Minaret Lake: 4 at the stretch past Johnston Meadow and along one other marshy stretch on the trail-- otherwise 1. At Minaret Lake: 2, but very bearable when the breeze picked up.
7/5 Above Minaret through Cecile Lake and Iceberg Lake: 0. Trail into Ediza Lake: 1 with a breeze during the day. We camped above Ediza Lake (not on the meadow) and would say 1 for the night.
7/6 Hiking down into and all along Shadow Lake: 3. 1 for the rest of the trail through Agnew Meadows.
We wore pants and long sleeves and kept moving along the trail. No repellent. It was an unbelievably mosquito free trip. I was extremely surprised.
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maytag
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7/3 - 7/7 Matterhorn Canyon Loop

Post by maytag »

7/3 - Mono Village to Peeler Lake: Breezy, 0 to 1 - no head net. Camped up in breezy area off of the lake.
7/4 - Peeler Lake through Kerrick meadow to Benson Lake: 0 to 2 with more activity climbing Seavey Pass. Broke out the head net for peace of mind. Great breeze at Benson in the evening to keep them at a minimum.
7/5 - Benson Lake, Smedberg to PCT Junction at Matterhorn Canyon: 2 - 3 plus. Morning at Benson and hike out 3+, Smeadberg was clear and beautiful. Approach to PCT Junction was 2 -3. Campsite above Matterhorn Canyon Creek - slight breeze 2 - 3.
7/6 - Matterhorn Canyon over Burro Pass: 3 - head nets used with long pants & long sleeves, some repellent. Camped in rock slab area along Piute Cr. nice breeze, 1.
7/7 - Mule Pass, Crown Lake, Barney to exit: Mule Pass area 2, Crown Lake area 4, exit out 1.
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papercup
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7/3 - 7/6 Bishop / Dusy / Palisade area

Post by papercup »

7/3, Bishop Lake: 2. Mosquitoes were present, but stiff breezes kept them under control.

7/4, Barrett Lakes: 2. Mosquitoes were a minor nuisance the evening of the 4th, but pretty rugged the morning of the 5th.

7/5, Saddlerock Lake: 3/4. Lots and lots of mosquitoes, little wind, all members of group got dozens of bites and killed dozens of mosquitoes. Long sleeves and deet helped.
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suncup
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Wrights/Zitella/Highland/Doris/Horseshoe Lakes 7/2-7/6

Post by suncup »

Wrights Lake to Lake Zitella and Highland Lakes (day hike) via Lakes Doris, Lois, Leland akes, Horseshoe, and return, 7-2--7-6.

Camped at Doris (2), Zitella (2), Leland (2), and Lois (2-3).

Mosquito conditions generally no more than 2 throughout. No problem during the day except the last day coming out on the Rockbound Pass trail by Maude Lake, evenings moderate at lakes where camped. Occasionally broke out the head net, never broke out the Deet.
Last edited by maverick on Thu Jul 10, 2014 1:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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wildhiker
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Grouse Lake Tahoe NF 7/4-7/5

Post by wildhiker »

7/4-7/5 Grouse Lakes roadless area, Tahoe National Forest

Elevations 6500 to 8000 feet. Mixture of open granite slopes, lakes, and forest. Mosquitos generally "1" everywhere, whether breezy or calm, except a few bothered us at dusk at our camp by a lake. Only one bite for the whole trip!

-Phil
Last edited by maverick on Wed Jul 09, 2014 9:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
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AlmostThere
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Tablelands - Lone Pine Creek - Hamilton Lake - HST trip July

Post by AlmostThere »

We went from Wolverton to Table Meadow to Tablelands to Pterodactyl Pass, descended into the Lone Pine Creek area, went to Hamilton Lake, and out via High Sierra Trail.

There were mosquitos at Lodegpole, rated about a 1 - not enough to convince me I needed DEET or a headnet.

Some on the Lakes trail - about a 1 at Emerald/Aster and Heather. We left the trail before Pear.

Some in the Kaweah on the way to Table Meadow, and at the unnamed lake above - about a 1.

We had a few in the high granite of the Tablelands - about a 1.

0 at Lone Pine Creek and Hamilton Lake, and at the creeks on the way out to Crescent Meadow - I saw one mosquito land on someone at Hamilton, but it flew away again.
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JDH1974
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Devils Bathtub, 6/27-29

Post by JDH1974 »

3. Camped on the north side of the lake and the mosquitos were really bad at dawn and dusk. They were moderate during the day, coming in waves. A mosquito net and 100% Deet were welcomed additions.
Last edited by JDH1974 on Fri Jul 11, 2014 6:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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maverick
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Re: 2014 Mosquito Reports

Post by maverick »

Hi JDH1974,

Welcome to HST! Please read the first post in the thread and assign a level accordingly.
Thanks.
Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer

I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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