I would also be interested in knowing how serious the black fly and mosquito situation will be. Information about protecting my self from black flies would also be appreciated.
Well...
I don't have any information on the local area, but I can tell you this. Black flies lay their eggs in fast flowing streams. That doesn't mean you will only find them around fast-flowing streams, but they do tend to be more pronounced there. They're pretty tiny, so keep your socks over your pants to keep them from coming up your pant legs and wear tight fitting sleeves at your wrists. Some people use bug headnets, but that creates its own problems, both with photography and sometimes with whiplash if you're walking through dense bush! In general bugs are attracted more to dark clothing, so wear something light if you can. Wear a hat, but remember that bugs are often attracted to the back of the ears. Try to avoid working yourself up into a sweat, which depends somewhat on the weather and also on your attitude. There are any number of bug sprays and liquids on the market - most of the commercial ones will eat paint and plastic, so wash your hands before picking up your camera. There's also Avon's 'Skin So Soft' which some people claim works. You can also increase your vitamin B6 and B12 content as this will make you taste bad.
Bottom line though, the best thing is simply to get used to them. If you're around them constantly for a week or so, you begin to ignore them. BTW, mosquitoes have a long proboscis (like a hypodermic needle)that they inject into you, but tabanids (black flies, deer flies, horse flies), actually have two biting mouth parts called palps. Try this. Curl your index and middle fingers toward your palm, and then open and close the space between your fingers around the middle joint. Imagine those are rasping mouth parts and your skin is in between... Both mosquitoes and tabanids will use an anti-coagulant to keep the blood flowing; generally that's what causes the itch.
Mike.
(who used to do environmental impact assessment around fast flowing streams)
P.S. If you have one, bring a remote release and a tripod. If you get into a bad bug situation you may have to move away from your camera in order to get the cloud of bugs to move with you!
