Adirondack Bug Bonnet Helped Keep Black Flies at Bay

This is a Bug Bonnet, a handmade work of wonder by Adirondacker Marjorie Swift, a woman who lives with her family off the grid at the base of Whiteface Mountain. The hat is handmade from sturdy cotton has a band of tulle netting that can be lowered down over your face and neck and tucked into your shirt. (The netting can also be tucked away out of sight when it’s not needed.)

I tested my Bug Bonnet in the buggy bogs of the Adirondacks and found that it helped keep black flies at bay. Now say that ten times fast.

Ed Kanze put me onto her hats, saying his wilderness-loving family swears by them. I would have gone with a boring old bug net from a sporting goods store, but I was concerned about using binoculars with a net over my face. Ed said the Bug Bonnet doesn’t interfere with his birding. In fact, here is exactly what he said:

I wore my Bug Bonnet all day today. For several years we struggled with the kind sold in sporting good stores. The fit and stability were always poor, and they were dark. Had to peel the thing off to use binoculars, and when you were inside of it, you felt claustrophobic. Marjorie is the Madame Curie of bug hats. Hers are the best!

The hat retails for $36, but you won’t find it online. A few stores in the ADK sell them but I bought mine from Marjorie herself. By some great stroke of luck, Marjorie happened to be passing through Rochester on her way somewhere else and provided me door-to-door service–all the way from the Adirondacks! 

Marjorie came and laid out 15 hats of every color. Knowing I wanted one for myself, she brought her ladies collection, which included a bunch of floral hats. Admittedly, I’m not into florals, but she dove into the stack and pulled this one out: it has reddish-pink flowers with green leaves over a brown background. I tried it on, and found it looked pretty good with my khakis and salmon-colored rain coat (it’s NOT pink!), and said, “I’ll take it.”

The true test of my Bug Bonnet (also available as a more testosterone-friendly Gnat Hat) came at Ferd’s Bog.

I became rather smug as I walked from my car, through the forest, and set foot on the short boardwalk that leads to the center of the bog mat. Hardly any bugs were attacking me. Was the hat working wonders or were there no bugs? 

In a minute I’d find out. When I reached the end of the boardwalk it was as if an entire airborn fleet of ravenous black flies had picked up my radar and flew in formation to attack my face. Dozens of hungry fliers lined up on my netting wanting IN! IN! But not a single peckish fly found its way to my precious blood supply. Score: Black Flies 0, Bug Bonnet 100.

But how was the hat for birding? 

The netting did not impede my vision, though its brown tulle dulled colors a little bit. Luckily, that slight impairment seemed to go away whenever I pressed binoculars to my eyes. Apparently, smoothing the netting across my eyeglasses ameliorated the effect and I could see birds and trees fine through my binoculars. So I’d say it passed the bird watching test with a 4 out of 5. 

If you would like to buy a Bug Bonnet or Gnat Hat, contact Marjorie at  mas7642 [at] yahoo.com or call her the old fashioned way at (518) 946.7642. She also vends at Farmer’s Markets in the park and sells the hats at these stores:

• Old Forge Hardware Store in Old Forge
• The Leather Artisan in Childwold
• End of the Line Gift Shop in Raquette Lake

She has styles for women, men, and children (even soldiers–camouflage!). And she changes styles often, depending on what suits her fancy at the fabric shop. The door-to-door service? Probably best not to count on that!