Eliminating gnats?

[dianneS]

My Spalding fly preditors have taken care of the flies, but I've got terrible gnats! They are aweful, they fly around my head and my horses heads and tails, it miserable.

I have a lot of water around my place, and a really shallow pond, more of a bog, in my pasture.

I wonder if I should get some of those mosquito dunks that you buy in the garden department to keep mosquitos from breeding? But what can I do about the gnats? Any ideas?

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

I have midges here bad, the biting no-see-ums, is that what you mean? Black, circle the face and eyes and bite the midline of the belly so bad where the hair parts the horse has open wounds. The udder or sheath too in many horses.

I have resorted to chemicals for them, but you may not want to with your bugs that work for you. There is a 30 day product that Jeffers livestock sells, it's really cheep for how long it works. Also Swat, the stuff that comes in bright pink works to put right on the wounds, and a bit in their ears if they are bleeding in there too. It will not prevent damage, but allows it to heal up. The other stuff from Jeffers keeps them away, I mix it with mineral oil per instructions and apply it, the horse have it figured out and love getting it on so they will be left alone. I tend to reapply at 20 - 25 days so they are covered.

 

[dianneS]

They're not no-see-ums, I've had those before and they are nasty! They bite me to death!

These guys don't bite at all, they are just annoying as all get out! They just swarm around your face and head, as well as the horses.

I was hoping to find a solution for them, since they irritate my guests when we entertain outside. The only thing that keep them away is punk sticks and citronella candles.

I've read that they reproduce in wet areas, and since I have a lot of water around me, I'm sure that's where they are coming from. I think they are fungus gnats, or something like that?

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

Google midge and see if that fits.

These things we have are not correctly called no-see-ums but are a member of the midge family, and they do circle your face and drive you nuts. They do bite too, check in your horses ears and along the belly line for scabby areas, they irritate the skin till it weeps and then drink that, so not really biting I guess? Anyway you may find lots of them on a scab drinking away. Coal has very thin skin on his ears and they eat him alive there, to the point that his ears will bleed, which makes every one of them for miles show up!

 

[ducks4you]

You need to do the following:
1) keep the grass mowed--high grass attracts insects
2) manage your pond--attract dragonflies
3) attract barnswallows--they eat lots of flying insects "on the wing"
4) eliminate all unnecessary standing water
5) get feeder goldfish for your water tank (if it's open) They are cheap, and they'll eat a lot of algae. ALSO, you'll know immediately if the water isn't good, because they will ALL die (you'll save you horses digestive systems
(read below)
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/barnswallow.htm#4
More about dragonflies~
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/dragonflies.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=ox...erger,+Amelia+Hansen&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false