Iqaluit (July 26/04) - Shane Satler will never forget the clouds of bugs that greeted him when he got off the airplane in Bathurst Inlet years ago.

"They were everywhere," said Satler, a wildlife officer. "I couldn't believe it."

After five years as a wildlife officer in the Kitikmeot, Satler is starting to believe.

No one understands how annoying those bugs can be quite like the wildlife officers of Nunavut, who must work with them day in and day out in the summertime.

Satler's bug dope of choice is Muskol because it has the highest concentration of Deet, but netted headgear and a bug jacket is best, he said.

In the Kitikmeot region, Kugluktuk is known as one of the worst places for bugs in all of Nunavut. Maybe not as bad as Baker Lake, but bad enough.

Allen Niptanatiak, wildlife officer in Kugluktuk, is lucky. He doesn't need the wind or cold to keep the flies at bay. He is just one of those rare people the mosquitoes have never liked.

He only uses Deep Woods Off with Deet in his ears.

"When they are horning through your ear holes, that is annoying," he said.

According to Niptanatiak, near swamp water, out on the land and in the interior of Nunavut are where the bugs are the worst.

You don't have to tell Richard Pudnak, born and raised in the Baker Lake area. Pudnak, a wildlife officer in training, just laughed when asked what it is like living and working in what is generally regarded as the bug capital of Nunavut.

"Yeah, the flies are pretty bad right now," said Pudnak last week.

"I saw some bees half the size of birds. Even the black flies are out. I don't know why they are out so early. They don't usually show up until the end of the month or next month."

Warm weather means more

The fresh water in the area, their inland location and warmer weather all contribute to the famous swarms of mosquitoes, black flies and sand flies in the summer.

Despite the flies, Pudnak doesn't like to wear bug spray because it smells bad and feels sticky. But in Baker Lake you don't have much of a choice, unless you want to stay inside all the time.

"I don't like to go out when they are bad. Just wait for them to pass by or run away!"