By Mike Roche

This writer has often said that May and October are the best two months of the year. There are so many enjoyable outdoor activities and generally great weather conditions. There is, however, a dark side of May and the bothersome parts of this month have reared their ugly heads.

First of all, the arrival of spring harkens the explosion of insect activity. Those invertebrates are very important to the ecosystem as they are a food source for birds, fish, and let us not forget, bats. Hatches of the many mayfly species and other insects trigger feeding activity by fish and local streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and of course, Quabbin fishermen, can enjoy epic fishing if the timing is right.

Also included in those hatches are black flies and mosquitoes and this year, the frequent rains have made conditions perfect for those two biting pests. You can protect yourself in a number of ways, including the use of products to treat your skin (follow directions!) and your clothes. DEET (diethyl-meta-tolumide) is the most effective and the products that you use to treat your clothing do a good job. The many devices made by Thermacell are great portable cures that include hand-held devices and lanterns and several new innovative devices for a variety of outdoor uses. Turkey hunting, which requires sitting motionless for long periods, is made easier by these products, as is socializing outdoors. You can also avoid using perfumes and colognes and wear earth tone clothing (not blue) to reduce how attractive you are to those stinging pests.

And then there are the ticks! Deer ticks have long been problematic with issues like Lyme disease. This disease, named for the Connecticut community where the first large outbreak occurred, put it on the map. Over the years, a number of other health problems have been linked to ticks, and most are now occurring regularly in New England. Those include babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, anaplasmosis. Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness, Tick-borne Relapsing Fever and tularemia. My dogs have tested positive on more than one occasion for Lyme and this writer has been tested for it a few times after bites and both man and dogs have taken the common treatment – doxycycline hydrate – multiple times.

Recently, my senior French Brittany Laney began exhibiting ingesting foreign objects (a very expensive habit) there was concern and an appointment with Adams Animal Hospital was scheduled with crossed fingers. Blood tests came back positive for anaplasmosis. The doxycycline almost immediately produced improvement and in a couple of days she was eating and showing normal activity levels. That despite wearing a Soresto collar. All of the past Lyme-positive tests were for dogs using protection, so be on guard as deer ticks are enjoying a banner year.

A very large pest, the black bear, is now common in the Mount Grace Region and we all need to do our part to keep them wild. Wild birds do not need the support of your feeders, and bears – particularly sows with cubs – will come calling, which is not good for man or beast. It is also time to watch out for snapping turtles crossing the road as females look to lay eggs. All the wildlife world is raising young, so expect to see foxes, coyotes, skunks and opossums foraging to feed the family. Give them a wide berth. As always, leave young wildlife alone, particularly whitetail fawns. Does often leave newborn fawns alone for long periods. Your intervention could have disastrous effects.

Hawks and owls are also more active and once again, there seems to be a slight increase in the local bat population. After the population crash of 90% due to White-Nose Syndrome, bats are slowly recovering. Since bats are animals that produce few young but are long-lived, the comeback will take time, but it would appear that a generation of bats have evolved that are more resistant to the disease and hopefully their numbers will continue to rebound. Bats are voracious consumers of flying insects, particularly mosquitoes, and we need them to balance things off for us.

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Massachusetts turkey season concluded last week and hopefully recruitment will be strong. Turkeys will re-nest and hens usually seek out solitude to raise poults so they can avoid nest predation. When turkeys are concentrated by factors like bird feeders, nest failure is much higher as predators focus in on the concentrated population as easy pickings. Like all wild species, wild turkeys do have ups and downs, but we can help out by not impacting their behavior through our choices.

Usually my late-winter and early spring include time spent getting the boat ready. The storage area was always my driveway with the boat seemingly always in the way. This year the matter was handled differently as the boat was stored at Precision Motor Sports in Gardner. After ‘biting the bullet’ and spending the money it took care of the fall service required of an inboard/ outboard motor, the safe storage and the required reversal of the winter service. That allows me to pick up the boat and ‘just add water.’ One less big headache taken care of and a clean hull to boot. Looks like summer is really here and that means life on the pond. Bring it on!

Don’t forget that this weekend is Free Freshwater Fishing Weekend. June 1 and 2, no license is required to fish any public lake, pond, reservoir, stream or river in Massachusetts from 12 a.m. Saturday, June 1, until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, June 2. All other regulations, including catch limits, apply during Free Fishing Weekend. Before heading out on the water, make sure you know the rules. Enjoy free fishing, but buy a license and enjoy 365 days of great fishing and support the ongoing efforts of MassWildlife to provide the best fish/game and non-game resources for everyone in the Commonwealth to enjoy.

Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the Mahar Fish’N Game Club, counselor and director of the Massachusetts Conservation Camp, former Connecticut Valley District representative on the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, has been a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.