Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 04/99) - The short summer season Northerners experience is always well-appreciated.

The flipside, of course, is bugs, bugs and more bugs. Not that mosquito and blackfly season is always looked upon with total revulsion, but let's face it, some years are worse than others.

With bug season rapidly buzzing near, we thought it would be fun to take a consensus on just what degree of water-born pestilence Yellowknifers might be in store for this summer.

Sherri Fisher, a server down at the Prospector Bar and Grill, was brief in her reply but strong her conviction.

"It's going to be bad, very bad," Fisher said. "This is my third summer here and it has been good the last two summers, so I think we're totally due. Expect it to be buggy."

Long-time Northerner, Stephen Fancott, has no objections with that prediction.

"I think it's going to be a bad summer for bugs," said Fancott. "Buy lots of bug dope and stay in the wind."

Bud Weaver, co-owner of Weaver and Devore Trading Ltd, is a shade more optimistic in his predictions.

"The general rule is that if it's a wet summer then the bugs won't be bad," Weaver said. "I heard that it's going to be fairly dry this summer, so I just think that we're going to have an average year for mosquitos."

"Anyway, it can't be as bad as it was five years ago," Weaver adds. "I think it was the summer of 1994. That was a bad year."

Jaimie Look, a jewelry vendor, was concise in her response.

"We were out playing basketball last night and it was buggy," Look said. "It was buggy before and it will be buggy again."

Dale Johnson, owner of Wolverine Sports Shop, believes one should never go outside in the summer unprepared. He too, by the way, is not optimistic about having of a bug-free summer.

"I don't know," Johnson says pondering the question. "With all this rain, I think it's going to be bad. The last two years have been fairly reasonable. I think we're due big time."

Fortunately, Johnson is also the owner of store loaded with state of the art, bug-killing, bug-ridding supplies. According to Johnson, if bugs really were just itsy little vampires, you're not going to need holy water or garlic cloves to keep them at bay -- just try some of the items he's got for sale.

"We've got lots of DEET bug sprays and DEET-free bug sprays, but my favourite is the goat's milk soap with citronella in it -- that works good."

So there you have it, you can stay clean and bug-free all in one shot. What will technology come up with next.