In case you haven’t noticed them yet, the green head flies are out in force this summer. Green heads are the scourge of the marshes, the beaches and the estuaries. They invade the marshes and rivers from around Mid July through to September
Besides ruining a picnic on the beach or a boat trip on the river, the pests can even cause a wreck. That actually happened on a sultry afternoon recently. The boater was alone and meandering up the Saco River estuary toward town when hordes of green heads invaded his boat. He was overwhelmed and distracted by the flies and missed an important navigation buoy. Before he realized his mistake his boat had passed the can on the wrong side and slid up onto the rocks.
Not only were the flies in attack mode but the tide was dropping, leaving him high and dry. We rescued him with our work skiff and later in the day they towed his boat back on the high tide. Apparently undamaged. The owner though came ashore with streaks of blood on his bare legs.
Randy Randall
