Q: When is black fly season in Alaska? Which month is the worst—July or August? —Cheryl

A: August is always milder than July in terms of bugs. We tend to get frosty nights as early as the end of July, and that kills off a lot of the bugs.

By the way, black flies aren't that much of an issue here anyway. It's more mosquitoes. For tips on what to wear (even colors), as well as what kind of repellants to consider packing, check out our page on Mosquitoes on Alaska.org.