My brother in law (California resident) says don't go to Toronto because of the huge flying bugs.
I have googled this and haven't vome up with anything.
Obviously, you expect some mosquitos near water, but is this more serious?

It might seem a bit of an odd question but i have had to return from a holiday in the scottish highlands in August before because of the dreaded midges!!

If you can't put up with mozzies or black fly, stay home.

I read that and had "Starship Troopers" like image in my head!

Mozzie and Black Flys are all i've encounted and they are most near the lake front.

I do remeber seeing some creepy catterpiller nests while near Georgian Bay last May...they creeped me out a bit

Could he be speaking of June Bugs (or May Bugs as I have heard other people call them)? They are quite big and tend to crash into things and make quite a noise.

http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/bimg139.html

They are okay as long as they don't get stuck in your hair...or if you fall asleep outside with your mouth open...

JUNE BUGS! Arrrrrrrrr I hate those things, didn't realise they are over here too, they haunt me.... We used to get them in the UK and I hate them, AD please tell me you are joking or else I'm going home RIGHT NOW!!

I am trying to think now whether I have actually seen them here...and I THINK I did last year...but I cannot be certain! I can't stand them either! I hate anything that flies - freaks me out!

If you live in Downtown Toronto you'll not have a problem I barely even saw a mosquito in the whole 7 years I lived there. Outside the city it's a different matter of course.

OH NO!!! We used to get them alot in one of our previous houses,they used to come dowm the chimney in the evenings and land in your slippers, I have lost count of how many I crunched between my toes, and they bump into everything. I'm not going to ever go outside again!!

Eww that is so gross! What about when you were playing badminton...where did they get to then..................

The only big flying bugs I can think of are these remarkable creatures....




Of course, there are mozzies etc too.. Away from the concrete jungle they are a pain and tend to spoil some outside activites, Deet takes care of them, but its stinky nasty stuff, and not really appropriate for kids. How much they impact you depends how much time you plan to spend in the great outdoors. Im sorry, but the scottish ones in no way prepare you for the Ontario mozzie. Heres a fave picture from my archive of the millions of the bastards caught by my skeeter vac before it burned out....



and if you want BIG bugs, there are a few of these about...but they dont fly...



Maybe hes thinking of the stupid eel/shad/may flys that plaster the house for about 2 days in the spring and are then gone...

Flying bugs are really not an issue in Toronto and they are not BIG. There are mosquitoes when it gets very warm and/if you're near standing water, but there are all sorts of anti-bug cremes and candles.
It's a much over stated problem. Now if you were going to Winnipeg???????????
Midges are more in the vein of blackflies and really none in Toronto. They're (blackflies) more of a problem in the bush and need running water.

The June bugs here are HORRIBLE, like flying cockroaches, I hate them! Never seen them in the UK though

WOW, never seen that weird looking thing Iain posted, I hate crickets, sometimes we get infested with them here, they sometimes hit you in the face :curse: and it hurts, its like someone throwing a noisy pebble at you.

Frogs too, we have a wetland on our ground, close to the house, and all summer while the noise they make is lovely I have to watch the mass murder as my cats play with them.
One of my friends has one stuck under her concrete garage pad(it fell down a vent), she waters it every day, its been there 3 years this summer, you can hear it croaking in the garage, I swear!

Mossies are good exercise, I bought one of those tennis racket things and get quite fit in the summer chasing & swatting them and man its good to hear them sizzle and smell them burn

Never seen or heard of June bugs in Scotland but you get them here in June (surprisingly enough). Only last around a month and are attracted to artificial light at night. You will hear them crash into your windows in the evenings. They are harmless enough but are gross to look at.

Blackfly, mozzies and no-see-ums are the worst thing in summer. I always get bitten on the scalp and am left with crusty lumps. Got a couple of infected bites too last year on my neck and above my ankle

Nice things about the summer are hummingbirds and pretty dragonfly that eat up the pesky bugs. Bluejays are nice to see but they don't half squawk loudly.

Here is a link to the bug report (not active until around June): http://www.theweathernetwork.com/bug...cancitiesNS_en

During the warmer months DO NOT open your windows unless you have a bug screen. Check them over for tiny tears because the bugs can get through the tiniest of holes.

No actually I think they were scared off by the views!! LOL