Gnats! Help!

The gnats here in Mississippi (Ocean Springs) are are unbearable! they bite my scalp, cause welts and itching for days! literally! I've tried a fogger (no effect) concentrated Spectracide sprayed all over the lawn (didn't help) yard sprays galore! my "bug man" says there's no solution! I can't believe that. My daughter from Oklahoma says she won't visit until I do something about them. I evacuated from Louisiana and we didn't have this problem! Please offer some suggestions to get rid of these horrible gnats. Thanks in advance. There's got to be a solution!!

Bonnie, I wish I could give you a solution...but I don't think there is one!

It was a beautiful day here yesterday and last night after getting home from work I thought it would be the perfect time to plant my new order of caladium bulbs. NOT! You call them Gnats...we call them No-See-Ums!

I was going NUTS! I'm sure I looked like a crazy woman out there! The hose was nearby and I was going to turn it on myself! OMG! Talk about Itchy! I still am, and even more since I read your post! haha!

I don't know what time of the day you're out in your yard...but I'm finding it's not a good time trying to plant things in semi-shade locations when the sun has passed! I've even doused myself with that bug repellant "Skintastic" and those little "Bugger" no-seem-ums couldn't care less! It's miserable!

Wish I could help...If you come across anything to repel...please post!

Yeah, I'd be interested in knowing anything that works also. We mainly have a problem with mosquito's but occassionally get the no-see-ums. Was out last night and we ALREADY have mosquito's out! Sighhhhhhhh

I agree, I don't think you can really get rid of them, at least without doing something so toxic and horrible that you'd probably rather have the gnats! And the stuff that you've tried spraying is going to kill a lot of beneficial insects too so I would stop. The real solution is to make a screened in porch and use that for your "outdoor" entertaining. If that's not an option, I've seen a lot of canopy/gazebo sorts of things that you can buy and some of them come with netting (or you could buy your own if it doesn't come with it), if you keep the netting closed while you're inside it you may be able to keep the population down just in that area. Here's an example of what I'm talking about in case you haven't seen them
http://www.target.com/gp/browse.html/ref=nav_t_spc_7_16/602-7144393-5783814?ie=UTF8&node=10824111

That would be nice for entertaining/relaxing, ecrane,,,, but it won't get the yard work done LOL!

There ARE mosquito/bug "jackets"... they are a netting material, have a hood and long sleeves, and you're supposed to seal them in plastic bags with a bit of "Off" or some other repellant,,,, then wear them while working outside. They work fairly well... if ya want one more thing to wear in this sweltering heat! Not sure if they'd work on the "no-see-ums".

bonnie - what about checking with your county extension agency??

Sorry--when you mentioned the part about your daughter coming I assumed that a fix like the gazebo was something that might work to get her to visit you (or is she coming to do the yardwork with you? LOL). Obviously it doesn't fix other situations, but I figured at least getting it to the point where she'll come visit you would be a step in the right direction.

That's ok, ecrane... I'm sure bonnie22 knew what you meant.

I know I'm dreading mosquito season... was out last night and there were already some out .

For gnats..

A good repellent is a mix of 1/2 cup Isopropyl Alcohol, 2 teaspoons dishwashing liquid and 1 quart warm water. Spray the mixture on the plants.


For mosquitoes...

An environmentally-friendly option is to bathe in Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap, found at health food stores. Mosquitos don’t like it!

The dragonfly and lizard are nature's way of controlling mosquitos. Introduce lizards to your landscape as a natural predator.

Bonnie... Are you sure it is the gnats biting you? Gnats are not known for bitign people, but thrips which unseen flyign around in the air are. Not sure what your yard and soil type is like, but there are also types of microscopic yard fleas that will bite the snarff out of you too. Some people are more sensitive to those bites than others. Sometime s you wil se dogs and cats scratching yet none of the big flea s on them, they are been bitten by thrips and othe r small ground fleas.

gettign rid of any standign water and lettign areas dry out a good bit before watering can help some.

Also, I wonder if you don't have midges instead of gnats. Can yu possible maybe try and capture some in a baggy or jar and get close=up photo of the bugs bothering you for positive id?

Thank you all for your suggestions and comments!! I did contact the extension service and they said to catch a couple of the culprits and put them on scotch tape and in a baggy and send or bring them to the office for positive id. I plan to do that -the office is an hour away so I have to plan for that.

basically its more than an entertaining problem! its that I like to spend most of my time outside-gardening, building things(a small bridge, a cinderblock wall by my hottub, a pond soon) so its not just a matter of spraying a cple plants to repell bugs. its really my lifestyle to be outside and it sticks in my craw that its so miserable out there!! but I AM going to find something that works.

What about those "no-see-ums" ? maybe its those?? How would you clear your land of them? They Fly and cluster around my face and neck. What the thrips? I thought they stayed on plants.

I do know I'm killing good bugs in this process and I'm not happy about it but its either them or me at this point. Surely a solution will surface-there's lots of fancy golf clubs and sports places that have to address this. how do they do it???
I know I'm ranting a bit . on a positive note I don't have any mosquitos!

I don't think the gnats that I am familiar with bite. At least I've never noticed fungus gnats biting. I exclusively use a product called Gnatrol and I have no issues what so ever with gnats. It's a biological larvicide and it really wipes them out. There are no ill effects what so ever that I have ever encountered using Gnatrol. One problem, it's a biological control (Bacillus thuringiensis ssp israelensis) which means it's target specific so it's only going to go kill a specific type of gnat.

I really don't think you're being bitten by gnats. I don't know what No-See-Ums are but maybe you better check into them and black flies. Black flies bite.

Check this out-
http://pelotes.jea.com/AnimalFact/Arthropod/NOSEEUM.htm
Looks as if KatG might have nailed your biter.

Screens won't help you against those. Those can fit right through regular screening.

You might want to check out black flies though too or wait until your extension office IDs your little blood suckers and post what you have. There might be a BTi out there for what you have and if so, you wouldn't need to worry about killing good bugs.

Death to "no-see-ums"!! LOL

I have no idea what the real name for no-seems-ums are...but they are the biggest pita's you've ever encountered. Equilibrium is totally right - screens don't stop them! I've had them swarm around my head and it's like little needle pricks all over! The bite they leave doesn't last like a mosquito's, but you do get some kind of skin irritation that itches like crazy. I was outdoors all day long today and didn't encounter any because it was so windy...when it's still and humid - look out!

One of this morning's episodes of Gardening By the Yard included a segment on controlling mosquitoes, some of the products he mentioned can also control gnats and other biting things, take a look and see if there's anything you think might work for you
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_diseases_pests_insects/article/0,1785,HGTV_3580_3714763,00.html

ecrane! That is really great that there was an actual program on tv that discussed mosquito dunks. I love mosquito dunks and use them in one of my birdbaths, one water garden, and two ponds. Could not live without them!

BTI = Bacillus thuringiensis ssp israaelenses
The toxins that are produced by the bacterium that do in some types of mosquito larva (mostly Aedes species which are our bane). This toxin is termed delta-endotoxin. The same subspecies of BT that works against fungus gnat larva works against mosquito larva and against black fly larva.

No toxicity to fish, No toxicity to birds, No toxicity to non-target invertebrates, No toxicity to pets, No toxicity to wildlife, No toxicity to people, and No toxicity to plants!

I find integrated pest management to be very exciting. For anyone interested. check this link,
http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic/BTTOX/bttoxin.htm

Good information ecrane and equi!!!

I'll have to change my mantra... death to mosquitos AND no-see-ums!! LOL

Paul James (the host of Gardening by the yard) often advocates safer more organic methods of pest control, that's one of the reasons why I like his show. I'm also a big advocate of IPM, I think that if you garden "organically" by blasting everything with organic pesticides instead of synthetic, you're probably not that much better off than if you were using the synthetics!

The Mosquito Beater lawn granules are the things that I thought had the best chance of working on the gnats/no-see-ums/whatever, I noticed that the link in the HGTV summary doesn't take you right to the product (probably used to, but it's an older show that they were re-running today), so here's the direct link to the product on Amazon. I thought it sounded good on the show, but now that I read the description on Amazon, they say that due to changes in shipping regulations, they can no longer ship the product to California...sort of makes you wonder what's in there! If it was totally benign and friendly I can't think why CA would want to keep it out.

I don't know if I'd be too thrilled about using Bonide's Mosquito Beater Lawn Granules because one of the active ingredients in it is Napthalene. That's the same crap they use to make moth balls these days. Napthalene can sublimate at seemingly low temps and its vapor can be flammable. Now add to the above that it is allegedly an unclassifiable carcinogen as well as a neurotoxin and I'm thinking this is probably why CA wants it out of their state.

The second active ingredient in this wunnerful wunnerful product is butoxypolypropylene glycol (sp?) which can be slightly toxic to humans.

We have the "no-see-ums" and mosquitos really bad here in MS. We love being in the backyard also and my 12 year old has horrible reactions to mosquito bites. In fact, he got one so bad last year that they almost put him in the hospital. We're purchasing a Mosquito Magnet this year. I'm finally giving in and just putting out the money for it. My dad has one and we can sit out on his patio all night and not one mosquito or "no-see-um" bothers us. It's expensive since we have to get the one for 1 acre, but in the end I know it will be worth it. They sell it at Home Depot here.

My girlfriend has one of those and I don't know exactly what they are... other than very expensive... but they do sure seem to work well.

We have a screened in porch. Fortunately, we don't have much other than skeeters here and the screens keep them out well enough. I was looking at the size of some of this insects that bite and I'm sort of glad we don't have to deal with those little black flies and no-see-um things that go through screens.

I wonder if the Mosquito Beater people have changed their formula since the show originally aired--Paul James said it was all natural, made with oils from lemon grass, mint, and garlic, that doesn't sound like quite what's in it now!

Last year I used those Mosquito Beater granules , I think from Lowes, and they were GREAT! I put them in my runoff stream that goes through my back yard. no gnats, no no-see-ems, no bugs! However, they were on a "Discontinued table" and I bought every package I could find. they lasted all summer. but no-where now!!! So....
That Gnatrol- is it a product to put on your body, or to spray all over the lawn?
How much is the Mosquito Magnet?

My girlfriend told me her Mosquito Magnet was several hundred dollars but I'm sure there are different brands out there by now so this might be something to do price shopping on or find out specifically which brand mjfulgham purchased and how much it cost.

The product that I use for the fungus gnats inside my home is Gnatrol and it's available on line. I've never seen it available in any store around here. When using it in my home, I use it as a soil drench. I'm going to go and try to find my receipt so I can tell you where I bought it online because I remember finding a really good price. I can tell you it won't be price effective to go this route outside your home though.

Horse folk use the spray form for black flies and I get mine from Conserv but I think you need a license to buy it. The product is Teknar and you need to time the applications properly. I'm wondering if you might be able to call around to a local equine center, feed and supply, or a place like Farm and Fleet to pick it up in your state or at least ask which BTi product they are using. Other than that we use regular old mosquito dunks in stock tanks and we are real careful to make sure there is no standing water around.

The mosquito magnet I'm getting is for 1 acre. The price in the store last year and where the sticker still is now (they haven't gotten the machines in yet) says $495 and that's last years sticker. The web site says the same one from last year and in fact I looked at this about a month ago online and the price has gone dow - YEAH! It now says $348 (Liberty). There's a cordless one for $448 (Liberty Cordless) , and then the 1/2 acre for $198 (Defender). I can't get the link to work directly to the page, but here's the Home Depot link and then type in Mosquito Magnet and scroll down a little for the different machines. www.homedepot.com

I delivered specimens of the bad-boys to the Jackson County Extension office today. probably won't hear back for a week -will keep you posted.

I looked up the Mosquito Magnet and came across recommendatuons for a "Skeetervac"-comes in 2 sizes, cordless, at Northlineexpress.com seems cheaper than the magnet in the long run I think

Bonnie,
HI!!
I live in Ocean Springs also. Welcome to O.S. and to Dave's.
I have been living here for 14 years and have not found a solution. If you get an answer,
please let me know. I had resolved myself, like everyone else, that they are a necessary evil. The closer you are to the water, the worse they are. (They hurt a lot less than the deer flies, LOL!!) We have come to the conclusion, that it is a temperature thing. They are worse in early am and late pm. Early spring and late fall is the worst. They are out all day, but you'll notice they disappear in the heat of the day.
Janet

The best solution is to attract insect eating birds to your yard by feeding them and providing appropriate plantings.

Equilibrium - Where do you buy your mosquito dunks?

Mosquito Dunks that I buy are from Lowes or WalMart. I plop those little puppies in some of my ponds and that's the end of that!

Awesome!

WalMart is cheapest!

Ok- here's the scoop- I snared a bunch of those black biting teeth we call gnats and took them to the Miss. Coastal research Ctr and the Entomologist told me they are "Biting Midges". and they have weak wings so using a fan on the porch/deck will keep them away, they can't fly in the wind. also they do not require water to live or reproduce so you can't interrupt their life cycle to get rid of them! they live in leaves and dirt. for temp. relief you can use "Off " and off products on your skin. there is nothing to spray or sprinkle on your yard to get rid of them. HOWEVER, according to research and Dr Held after much research for me, he found that the best remedy is the Mosquito Magnet! it uses propane to mimic CO2 from humans and an attractant (Octenol) to get the mosquitos and it works on these horrible gnats! it IS expensive. but if you are allergic, like I am , and spend waking hours in the yard, like I do, then $700 isn't too much to pay for relief. the 4700 one is cordless and covers an acre of land supposedly. there are cheaper ones with cords and cover less acreage. So there you have it. My Mosquito Magnet is now 4 weeks old and seems to be working well. they say it isn't fully effective until 5-6 weeks but I think its already helpful!!
Let me know if others get this thing and how it works for you!

Yay! You solved your problem! I can't wait to hear if your Mosquito Magnet is still going strong 4-5 weeks from now!

I buy a product from Gardens Alive (.com) called Knock out Gnats. The label says the active ingredient is Bacillus thuringienss.

That would be BTi.

Gnatrol is also what interior plantscapers use, I'll ask my boss where she gets it, I'm sure she buys it locally. It does take a little time to work, at least a week before you see results, it's not like Raid (thank goodness).

My cousin's husband was bit by a mosquito last summer, near his home in NW Indiana. He contracted West Nile virus, and is now paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. The news is so shocking, I still can't believe it! He says he can't either, and he is really bummed out. This man was the most hale and hearty guy you could ever hope to meet. Please wear repellant before heading outdoors this summer!

I wear sheets of Bounce fabric softener in my hat, pockets, waist and the gnats and mosquitos stay away. They don't like the smell. I look silly, but I smell great.

Put up one or two bat houses. Bats eat insects.

Bat houses aren't that simple. There are people who have constructed the proper sized bat house out of the proper materials and installed them in the correct locations for the species indigenous to their area that would use them who haven't as of yet had a single bat. If anyone is interested in plans for bat houses, I've got them and they are accurate. I even have some photos of the construction process which can help if you're making something for the very first time. kyjoy, are you gonna be a taker ? ;) Come on now, once you go batty... you never go back!

bonnie22! How's your mosquito magnet working for you? It's been just about 4 weeks now! You have to let me know if you had it to do all over again if you would drop that kind of cash for the unit.

I was at a nursery the other day and the woman there told me she sprays herself with diluted Neem Oil and it seems to do the trick. I haven't tried it yet, but a ready for anything as these bugs would carry you away around here these days! :)