Although Northwest Arkansas is known for its natural beauty with many hiking places, it’s also home to various bugs and insects. While most people avoid these creatures, they can be fascinating to learn about. Although I’m unfamiliar with the types of bugs in Central, Southern, and Eastern Arkansas, I’ll be talking about the ones in Northwest Arkansas.
Mosquitoes, flies, and ticks are some common bugs and insects in Northwest Arkansas. However, apart from ticks, these bugs are not rampant in the north of Arkansas, as is the case in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Florida.
In the rest of this article, I’ll talk about insects and bugs in Northwest Arkansas in relation to other places like Florida, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Keep reading!
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Mosquitoes
To clarify, I come from Chicagoland in Northern Illinois. I have also been to Wisconsin several times. Therefore, having been to these places, I may have a different comparison to where you come from in terms of mosquitoes.
If you’ve been to Wisconsin and Illinois in the primetime summer season, there is a good chance that you sat outside at once and got eaten by a mosquito. This is true as Scientific American clarifies that mosquitoes are ectothermic, meaning they thrive in warmer climates.
Due to the high number of mosquitoes in Wisconsin and Illinois, many people invest in spraying their lands to get mosquitoes and other bugs away.
Coming to North Arkansas was a significant relief. Here, I can go out in my backyard and sit out there without being disturbed by mosquitoes. The reason is that there are not many mosquitoes here. Although they exist, they are few compared to Wisconsin and Illinois, where there are so many you feel you’re being eaten alive.
I think the main reason Wisconsin and Illinois are high in mosquitoes is that they are agriculture-based states. Therefore, they have a lot of corn, soybeans, and wet fields.
These places have the Great Lakes next door, making them more conducive to mosquitoes. An article by the State government of Maine confirms that water bodies make an environment more conducive for mosquitoes.
Northern Arkansas is a little drier with tempered ground compared to Illinois, which is always wet.
Therefore, Illinois has more places for mosquitoes and other unwanted bugs to grow. On the contrary, Arkansas doesn’t have those.
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No See Ums
This is the second insect I want to talk about. Although these bugs are not found here in North Arkansas, I still want to talk about them for those coming from Florida and the surrounding parts.
According to A-Z Animals, no-see-ums are tiny biting insects that feed on the blood of mammals, reptiles, and birds. They are found in tropical and subtropical regions all over the world. These bugs can be annoying because they bite people when outdoors.
One of the reasons I chose to move to North Arkansas over Florida was that these bugs don’t exist here. Therefore, I can go out without worrying about being bitten. Although Florida is an excellent place, no-see-ums make it unfavorable – you can’t go outdoors at certain times for fear of being bitten, and you’ll need to sit in screened-in porches.
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It doesn’t matter if you’re a foodie, a sports person, a sightseer, or want to spend quality time with your kids; I have something for you. Check out the link below to learn more:
https://www.allthingsnwa.com/3-day-itinerary-northwest-arkansas
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Gnats and Other Insects
Due to their rich soil, there are many bugs and insects in Illinois and Wisconsin. Although there are also many bugs in Northern Arkansas, those that bother people are fewer here compared to Wisconsin and Illinois. However, you might think of the situation differently, depending on where you come from.
For instance, if you come from a dry area with many wildlife, you might consider Northern Arkansas to have fewer bugs and insects. I don’t see much difference in terms of gnats between Arkansas and Illinois.
All right, so let’s talk about flies. There are two fundamental differences between Arkansas and Illinois when it comes to flies:
- Wisconsin and Illinois have a lot of black flies.
- Horse flies don’t exist in Arkansas, as is the case in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Getting bitten by a horse fly is the worst thing – these bugs are just so annoying and big. The annoying bit about these bugs is that they wait until you’re somewhere in the middle of a lake, and they come at you, and you can’t escape.
Although there are flies in Arkansas, there are no real bugs like horse flies, black flies, or any of those sorts of things to bother you.
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Ticks
Now, one of the biggest differences between the Northern states and Arkansas is ticks. Ticks are more populous down here than mosquitoes and other bugs.
My recommendation for ticks is that you’ll be fine if you’re on a trail in the summertime or spring. However, once you go off-trail, you’ll probably have ticks on you.
I recommend wearing pants if you’re hiking and making sure to flick the ticks off as they come along. They aren’t my favorite bug type, and I don’t care for them.
But ticks are a thing down here and definitely a bigger thing compared to the Northern States. It’s one of the things you just have to be aware of.
Again, if you’re on maintained trails, you’re going to be fine, and ticks shouldn’t be a problem. However, once you start actually venturing off into random forests without trails, you might wanna rethink that a little bit when it comes to ticks. This is to ensure you remain safe throughout your hike in Northern Arkansas.
Insects and Bugs in Northwest Arkansas Compared to in Illinois and Wisconsin
Last night I went on a drive into the sunset. Of course, because the sunsets are amazing here, I was driving through the sunset.
One thing in Illinois and Wisconsin was that if you went into the sunset or even started getting dust time, that’s when all the bugs are out. Your car would be littered, for example, with windshield bugs malts. You would have these massive things everywhere in your car, including on the windshield and the front bumper. However, this doesn’t happen in Arkansas.
Final Thoughts
That’s all I had for you guys today. North Arkansas has fewer insects and bugs than the Northern States, like Illinois and Wisconsin.