Bug problem on Chesepeake!

[PDA1]

Our boat is in Northeast Maryland and has been blackened by the mess left by what we've been told are Midges. They sound just like mosquitoes, don't bite, and congregate around the leeward parts of the boat (i.e the transom, cockpit). They leave a blackmess which can only be removed by cleaners that have orange oil (not sure the exact words) in them. It takes a long time to clean the boat- hours. Even then tiny faint black spots remain.

Do you have any first hand experience in this exact problem and how to solve it either in using some cleaning product or repellant or covering?

Caution- unless you know exactly what I'm talking about don't reply. This situation is so far beyond frustrating I've lost all patience with ideas that just don't work and have cost us a lot of money.

Thanks.

[transmitterdan]

We have similar problems where we are. A good wax job makes cleaning a lot easier. The small black spots will be "cleaned" by sunlight so I don't go overboard trying to get every last speck. Most bugs are attracted by light. White surfaces with light reflecting off attracts these things to our boat. At night I try to put some dark cloth over white areas that have light shining on them.

[PDA1]

Here's what I did- covered the cockpit and transom with cheap blue tarps.

The black spots did appear to be bleached away with the sunlight to a certain degree.

Thanks for the ideas.

[FSMike]

A good wax job is probably a good idea. On the St. Johns river in Florida I've seen boats with screen all over the entire boat when there's a midge hatch going on. Those things will make you crazy. As mentioned, they don't bite but they can be so thick that you can breathe them.
In NE Florida we call them blind mosquitos. I was told by a native that when he was a kid they occasionally hatched in such quantity that the top of the water was solid midge for 6 - 12". He said you couldn't catch a fish because the fish weren't hungry - all they had to do was go to the top of the water and open their mouths for a meal.

[PDA1]

My wife told me that in Africa they swing a net around in the air to catch Midges and then make......Midge burgers.

Screening sounds like a good idea.

So does this.......

[PDA1]

Oh come on.....you know it's funny!

[ranger58sb]

It might help a little to not leave any outside lights on (other than an anchor light if necessary), to the extent possible.

Bluish or white lights seem to attract bugs more than red lights.

A fan (and/or open enclosure panels, etc.) might help; relatively swift air circulation sometimes keeps the midges from concentrating in calm areas.

We had a crop the other morning, but opening the enclosure eventually seems to have provided enough air movement to make 'em go away.

-Chris

[PDA1]

The bug problem is only at our marina's mooring and nowhere else.

There are no lights on the boat that are on.

I thought of just making a large tarp like screen that'll fit over the aft portion of the boat.

[ranger58sb]

Maybe mosquito netting, then...

-Chris

[IdoraKeeper]

There might be bugs on some of you mugs but there ain't no bugs on me!

[PDA1]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

Maybe mosquito netting, then...

-Chris

Home Depot sells stuff that's 8' wide. That'll work perfectly but a lot of cuts will have to be made to accomodate the rigging.

[PDA1]

Originally Posted by IdoraKeeper

There might be bugs on some of you mugs but there ain't no bugs on me!

And the translation is.....?

[chrisjs]

We had a similar problem while anchored overnight at Solomons in early June a few years ago. Our deposits covered much of the boat but were blue in color. Perhaps the bugs had a different diet?? Good news was that the blue sh1t washed off easily with water. Never had a similar problem anywhere else in the Chesapeake during that return trip from the Bahamas.

[IdoraKeeper]

Originally Posted by PDA1

And the translation is.....?

A clean ship is a happy ship!

[PDA1]

Originally Posted by IdoraKeeper

A clean ship is a happy ship!

I wish you were right!

You can't get much cleaner than a beautifully polished and waxed boat. Without some sort of insect netting those bugs will mess it up in a day.