Here's a Yahoo News article about lots of mosquitos in the Arctic - treating 'em like they are a new phenomenon which they're not. I was there in the late 1980s and there were total swarms of the nasty little rats, flying in your ears, up your nose, and biting you everywhere.
The big ones have stripes around the body like hornets, but are slow and easy to hit; the little ones are quick and more likely to bite you. Different sizes come out at slightly different times.
The author's not exaggerating about the density of mosquitos, they are thick. What's really nasty is the loud whine they make in your ears, particularly in the dark when you're trying to sleep.
The worst I ever experienced were at Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, on Hudson Bay. We'd gotten off the train and were taking a tour to the mouth of the Churchill River which empties into the bay just west of the town. There was so much "flying protein" in the air one could have almost made a meal off the mosquitos, as martins and swifts do, just open your mouth and bite down.
In the bay were beluga whales, looking like over-sized albino porpoises. Once we slathered on some 100% DEET, courtesy of a nice Canadian lady, we could appreciate the whales. Being white they really showed up.
