CA-10 SEAMAGAZINE.COM MAY 2017
FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE I have found myself the primary target of every insect within
stinging and biting range. I have made it a point to investigate why insects bite — and
more specifically, why they bite me, sometimes to the exclusion of other perfectly good
warm-blooded creatures in my immediate vicinity — and how I can avoid their advances.
Mosquitoes, bees, deerflies, horseflies and no-see-ums are especially bothersome to boat-
ers who cruise the British Columbia coast — north of Desolation Sound is really when
they get active — and Southeast Alaska. They will test your patience and potentially even
ruin a cruise.Mosquitoes — nearly 250 species of which
are found in North America alone — are
considered public enemy number one by
most boaters. I consider the bite of the
horse- and deerflies far more painful, butwhen they bite, all of them pump saliva into
the victim’s skin. Their saliva contains an
allergen, which causes the bumpiness and
itchiness.
Research I’ve seen has shown it’s onlythe females of these species that do the
biting and blood gathering, to nourish
the eggs they’re carrying, and they prefer
their human hosts to be male. These
little vampires are out for blood and can
consume up to three times their weight.GET AWAY!
When they get attacked by biting
insects, most boaters simply reach for one
of more than 250 commercially available
insect repellents — sprays, creams, lotions
or waxy sticks in scented or unscented
formulas. More often than not they are
fueled with DEET, (diethyltoluamide) inFEATURE
BLOOD-SUCKING VISITORS
BUGS IN THE PNW CAN BE VORACIOUS, SO DON’T
BECOME THEIR NEXT VICTIM.
BY DEANE HISLOPEDITOR’S NOTE: We know a lot of California boaters venture north for the summer and enjoy the
cruising grounds of the Pacific Northwest, so this story is of particular interest to that group of
cruisers, especially those going north of Desolation Sound.Sometimes, swinging on the hook in an idyllic
anchorage can be ruined by the presence of
biting bugs.