BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 27, 2022
Nothing ruins a perfect Maine summer day faster than clouds of biting insects. Anyone who has spent any time here from May to October knows this and awaits their arrival with equal dread and stoic resignation. From Kittery to Fort Kent, black flies, mosquitos, midges, deer flies and houseflies are the constant and unwelcome guests at any outdoor activity. And while someone every summer will claim it’s the worst bug season yet, there is scientific evidence to back up the claim this year as experts point to factors such as clean water legislation and climate change. Jim Dill, pest management specialist at University of Maine Cooperative Extension, said, “Because [Senator] Ed Muskie stepped up and helped the Clean Water Act come into fruition, we started getting cleaner and cleaner water so more species of black flies could survive and reproduce here.”