If it feels like blackflies showed up aggressively early this year in Nova Scotia, you’re definitely not imagining it. Thanks to the recent stretch of warm weather, blackflies are emerging much faster than usual across the province and people are noticing.
But according to experts, there’s actually a hopeful silver lining hidden inside all the swatting and bug spray.
Andrew Hebda, a retired zoology curator with the Nova Scotia Museum, says blackflies only have one generation per year. So unlike mosquitoes, which can keep reproducing throughout the summer, blackflies basically have one big seasonal moment. Once they emerge, reproduce, and die off, that’s it until next spring.
And because temperatures warmed up so quickly this year, experts say there’s a chance the blackfly season could burn through faster than normal if the warm weather continues for another couple of weeks.
Honestly, that’s probably the most encouraging blackfly-related sentence Nova Scotians have heard in years.
Last summer’s dry conditions actually helped suppress blackfly populations a little, but with this year’s combination of warmth and moisture, conditions have been ideal for them to show up early and in large numbers.
The advice from experts is pretty simple:
- avoid wooded areas and tall grass if possible,
- stick to breezier open spaces,
- and stock up on bug spray if you’re spending time outdoors.
Basically, this is the annual Nova Scotia tradition where everyone collectively starts slapping invisible bugs off themselves while hoping “maybe they’ll be gone soon.”
