Ant season

[Letstryagain]

Be careful where you rest your hands when pushing through scrub.

Try getting some scrub gloves. They will change your life if you're new to off track walking.

[Lostsoul]

Elysia has had a reputation for a lot longer than just five years. Whenn I camped there it was something like ten years ago and they were utterly insane from around 8am to 6pm. Never had any trouble on Walled or major issues elsewhere in the DuCanes, but they were a big issue last two times I was at Cuviier Shelf.

They're all over the Walls at the moment, inner and outer, with some locations worse than others.

I always take the Rid spray this time of year and cook after 7 pm,they seem to go to bed about that time

[xing]

Try getting some scrub gloves.

She did have scrub gloves on. They were the only thing that stopped the bites being far worse.

[Mechanic-AL]

I have never really noticed the ants on any of my visits to various spots on and around the Labyrinth over the years. My most recent trip there was also in January 2018. It would be interesting if the increase other users are talking about in the Labyrinth, is related to the manner in which the summers have really dried out during the last 5 years. Although I haven't noticed swarming ants anywhere in the southwest or along the east coast either during that same period. Is it an alpine to subalpine phenomenon?? Or maybe just by chance I mostly don't camp in ant hot spots.

There doesnt seem to be much doubt that the ants have been in large numbers around the Labyrinth for many years now but like Farefam I'm interested to know how the seasons have affected their numbers. I was recently up in that area during a fairly significant 12 hours of rain. Everywhere copped a thorough soaking. The track around Ophion and Cyane was knee deep under water for most of the way. I began to wonder what happens to the ants during weather like that. Surely wherever they vanish to in their subterranean hide outs the water can follow. It must be armageddon down there !!
It would be interesting to hear from anyone visiting the Labyrinth in the near future during a spell of hot weather as to how the recent rains have affected their numbers. Are the little buggers still in plague proportions or did the deluge thin them out ? If the plague remains the same their survival/breeding attributes are phenomenal !!
It's hard to see how climate changes couldn't be affecting ants,flies, leeches etc...