I can't tell from that pic but my guess is fruit flies.

That's what I suspected the one on the left to be. It's a little bit more 'full-bodied' and has much more red to it. The one on the right is thinner, longer, and pure black.

We have the same ones inside as every year, which we trap in "fruit fly traps". The outside biting ones are new this year though - they are a different species. The ones inside don't bite and we have them every year. The outside swarming biting ones are new. Hopefully this is a vacation and not a migration.

I have tried Neosporin and Benadryl cream on my bites and no change in the itching and swelling. Any suggestions on what to use to ease the itching and redness? The worst area is on my neck at the collar line, everytime I turn my head it irritates them more. Ugghhhh

[This message has been edited by Ag2Max (edited 4/20/2012 8:31a).]

I suspect there are actually two things going on. The gnats are absolutely horrible, no doubt, but at least for me the bites on my neck and on my head are from thrips. (itty bitty yellow bugs coming out of the trees)

The black gnats that I've seen are smaller than that picture. They are perhaps the size of fleas, maybe a little bigger. I saw one land on me, smashed it, and the little red spot started forming which grew into a whelp within the hour and itched like crazy. It stayed swollen for at least a week and even now that it isn't swollen or itching, the red dot is still there. I had some CallaGel that was left over from a poison ivy bout and that seemed to help with the itching. I used it the allotted 3 times a day and also used 2 or 3 other anti-itch cremes in between.

thrips are the bane of my existence. I hate those *******s.

the black insect on the right in the pic is a small wasp, not a fly or gnat.

If you're on the south side of town and want to try the Bt mosquito dunks that Rhoswen mentioned, America's Country Store in Wellborn has them, too.

Oklaunion got it. The larvae need flowing water. Sadly, our mosquito spray only gets like 50% control They, like nearly all insects, are susceptible to the bifenthrin that we use, but are avoiding it by their behavior. Mosquitoes fly and land constantly, so they get lethal doses pretty easily. My guess is these guys either rarely land or fly from pretty long distances. We had them for about 3 weeks two summers ago. As temperatures increase, they will probably decrease, just like two summers ago. I won't confuse the post with fruit fly info. You can probably search and find what we have covered with them before.

Ok, I did a little more research. There are 4000 species of these "buffalo gnats" or biting midges or no-see-ums. They vary greatly in larval habitat, so it may not just be flowing water. I don't know what species we have here, but I'll call my friend at TAMU and ask. Anyway, the mean flight distance for females is 2 km. The info I read confirms that adult mosquito sprays really only provide 1 day of control for biting midges. In areas where there is successful government run control of biting midges, they have huge sampling programs and treat large bodies of water like lakes, rivers, and marshes with b.t. based on what they find. DEET based repellents do work. Looks like we'll probably have to live with them for a little while. Just like that year we had the crazy love bug outbreak, this will pass and maybe never return.

They were horrendous at the Aggie golf tournament yesterday. Half the golfers had towels wrapped around their heads. They were flying up my nose...in my eyes. It was awful.

theres a business in town called mr. mist, I know the owner and hes a good guy, bryan native. Anyway, they install systems around your house and it keeps out dem gnats, mosquitoes and such

I'd be interested to see what they're using that would control them around your house for more than a day or two, like Venus said.

The wife got a few bites a couple of weeks ago from lounging outside one evening and the next day had welts all over her body. She thought that we had fleas or bed bugs in our bed.
It's a shame that we can't enjoy the Spring weather because of these pesky things.

BTW, I built a big fire pit in my back yard and we have been enjoying it immensely this past winter and into Spring. The gnats & misquitos do not come around at all during these events. Maybe the smoke is keeping them away?

they're probably attracted to the CO2 coming off your skin (like mosquitoes) so the smoke probably masks that.

We have been dealing with biting gnats for years as our cat has a horrible allergy to them. We coat him daily in Avon skin-so-soft bug spray per our vet. It doesn't eliminate all of the bites, but keeps the majority off of him (and me) when outside. Don't forget your pets? They are outside more often and are being bitten just the same. The heat of the summer cuts the population, but come Fall they are right back up in numbers. This year is so thick I have been getting buzzed in high winds and direct sunlight. I wonder if it will be a good lightning bug year too?

-Julia

I saw my first fireflies last week.

I just thought the mosquitos this year had extra poison in their bites. I have been bit several times and have huge welts each place. Ughhhh - the problem with the vanilla, is that it will attract the mosquitos - right? That's not really any better except that the mosquito bites aren't as bad as the gnat bites.

No, vanilla wont attract mosquitoes. See earlier post.

Missed that part - guess I'll smell like a cookie later today.

Better than smelling like OFF!!!

That is for sure!! But remember I'm naturally very sweet so the vanilla may just push it over the edge.

[This message has been edited by TLIAC (edited 4/24/2012 12:49p).]

quote:

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I have tried Neosporin and Benadryl cream on my bites and no change in the itching and swelling. Any suggestions on what to use to ease the itching and redness?

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I have been using Lanacain(sp?) spray the last couple of days. It controls the itching for about four hours.

For your own personal and immediate "space", I'm assuming a thermacell may be effective???

Simuliidae. Just learned about them in my Medical Entomology course. Nasty little buggers!

They seemed to have gone away last weekend only to be back this week with a vengeance!

I have bites all over my hairline

Not very scientific, but I sent two guys out into the wilderness this weekend. I offered them both my bottle of vanilla and my box of generic fabric softener sheets. They declined the vanilla, but took the sheets. Dad put one in his cargo pants pocket, his chest pocket and his hat band. He also used DEET. He got one bite on his shoulder. Son refused to use anything. His arms are covered in bites. No one ever saw what bit them.

My husband, 2 y.o., and I have been avoiding the yard because of these things. Tonight I'm gonna try dryer sheets. I'll let you know the results!

It was the DEET not the dryer sheets.

If you'll put a silver quarter under each arm and hold it there it will keep the gnats off for about four hours. For longer periods use half dollars or silver dollar. They have to be silver, though - coins dated later than 1964 will not work (except for half dollars made between 1965 and 1969 that are about 40% as effective). You can set the silver coins in the sun for about an hour to reactivate the repellent effect.

[This message has been edited by carpe vinum (edited 4/26/2012 1:53p).]

They're back.....

Ughhhhhhhhhhh not again!

and the thrips too.