Mosquitoes in Quebec in the summer

Hi there!! We all know there are mosquitoes in Quebec… but is it bearable? Are the cities affected too? Like Montreal and Quebec City? I can imagine it’s bad in the parks… The road trip would be from July 5th to the 21st, right in the middle of bug season!! Best, Christophe

Hey, Yeah, in Quebec like elsewhere there are mosquitoes, but I’d say here we mostly have black flies. And these flies have the particularity of being really voracious—they don’t bite, they *munch* on a piece of your skin! 🏴‍☠️ But good news (gotta have some when talking about black flies): their "peak activity" period is mostly from mid-May to the end of June!! So you should be spared from the black flies!! As for mosquitoes, there are some, but as soon as you’re near the river, the wind keeps their activity down!! And mosquitoes aren’t too active during the day—they’re more around at dusk. All in all, Quebec in the summer is still awesome to visit! 😛

Hi Christophe, Yes, there are mosquitoes. A few varieties. The black fly you already know thanks to *Les Caribous* 🦌 There’s also the famous *maringouin* 🦟. You’ll find those pretty much everywhere, especially in humid weather. They love breeding in puddles. Then there’s the little "brulot." Smaller than the *maringouin*. It sneaks in just about anywhere. I live in the suburbs north of Montreal, and I get all three varieties during the warm season in *very* variable quantities. Honestly, it really depends on the weather here. Heat and rain are ideal conditions. If you visit the big cities, you’ll barely notice the mosquitoes—maybe a *maringouin* now and then. But if you head into nature, using repellent is *strongly* recommended. For example, I pretty much stop hiking at Calvaire d’Oka in the middle of summer. Some hikers wear head nets (especially if they avoid mosquito repellent) on those trails.

If you plan to hike in nature, you’ll also need to take precautions against ticks 🕷️—especially south of Montreal. But like everything else, we’ve had to protect ourselves up north too in recent years. If it’s part of your plans, a quick search on how to guard against ticks is a good idea. You’ll see, it’s easy to protect yourself. For pets, though, it’s trickier.

Hope this answers your question! Don’t hesitate to ask if you’d like more details.

Either way, summer in Quebec is simply wonderful. So much to see and do—festivals, nature, beaches or pools, biking on the trails, summer baseball games, patios in the city or at friends’ places, and more.

Wishing you a great trip prep and, most of all, an amazing time here! 👍😊👋👋

Good evening and thanks for your reply! It’s a bit of a relief! Such a shame to skip Quebec because of bugs LOL. Best regards, Christophe

Good evening and thanks for this detailed message!! We’re planning to spend 2–3 days in Montreal and the same in Quebec City, so we probably won’t be too bothered in the cities... We’ll see how it goes after that!!! Is Gaspésie really too far from Montreal for the length of our stay? 17 days there? Is it doable, or should we focus on staying near Quebec City? Thanks, Christophe.

Hey, Just a quick note I forgot to mention about mosquitoes and other flying critters—you’ll find really effective anti-mosquito products by Watkins in all outdoor stores / big-box stores like Canadian Tire. 8-hour mosquito repellent lotion, 30% DEET, Watkins Great Outdoors, 240 mL | Canadian Tire

As for touring Gaspésie, 17 days is totally doable!!

Hi,

For planning your trip, if you haven’t already, I suggest drawing inspiration from recent itineraries easily available on Voyage Forum. It’s more or less the same thing every time, especially when it comes to Gaspésie. Very doable, as a fellow traveler mentioned 😄.

Once you’ve drafted your first itinerary, feel free to share it with us so we can help you refine it. The member "Les Caribous" is great at improving routes 👍😄

What often surprises me, though, is that people who come here don’t really specify their priorities. For example, do you want to attend one or more festivals, go fishing, play golf, visit historical sites (yes, there are some here 🙃🙃), explore artistic routes, meet Indigenous communities, go hiking, biking, camp in the parks, etc.? You get the idea. 😄😊

Some travelers like to follow the routes parallel to the St. Lawrence River (north shore or south shore). But there’s also Abitibi-Témiscamingue, which is stunning. The Lanaudière region too. For fishing lovers, those are two high-quality regions. In short, the fun is also in the planning. I can only wish you an excellent one! 😄😊

Cheers 👋👋