Biting Gnats
 

Anyone with any idea how to get rid of gnats in the garden? They are only found in the garden and not found indoors. They are like mosquito bites, only worse.

Biting Gnats
 

On Jun 18, 8:00*pm, Moonlight
wrote:
Anyone with any idea how to get rid of gnats in the garden? They are
only found in the garden and not found indoors. They are like mosquito
bites, only worse.

The normal way is to catch them like a swarm of bees. Then sell them
to Budweiser who bottle their urine and market it as Bud Light.

Biting Gnats
 

"Moonlight" wrote in message
...

Anyone with any idea how to get rid of gnats in the garden? They are
only found in the garden and not found indoors. They are like mosquito
bites, only worse.

These midges thrive in damp conditions and the only way to prevent them
biting it to use a suitable repellent, but even then they will bite
through your clothing. By the time you feel them biting they have done
their dirty deed.

Some good reading he http://tinyurl.com/lnyzml

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

The term "gnat" is a bit vague, but it is usually used for a group of small non-biting flies, though they are closely related both to biting flies and other non-biting flies such as craneflies. Small things that bite are usually called midges or black fly depending upon their form (though in the USA black fly are sometimes called buffalo gnats, etc).

I don't know if you usually suffer so badly from midge bites, but given it is still fairly early in the season and the bites are bad they could be black fly http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simuliidae some of which can have particularly unpleasant bites. The Blandford Fly is a particularly notorious blackfly, which has a wide distribution across Europe but in Britain is more or less confined to the basin of the (Dorset) Stour. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blandford_fly It is such a damn nuisance and public health problem that for some years now the council sprays a bacterium on its winter breeding areas, which kills the larvae, and has greatly reduced the problem.

You'll probably find, if it is some kind of black fly, that its season is quite short, probably just a couple of weeks. There is something that sometimes gives me nasty bites in the spring some years in my garden, but they don't hang around for long.

If it is midges, they will last all summer, if you are in a suitably damp area for midges and the weather (or marshy ground) remain suitably damp. This product will completely clear 0.5 acres to 1 acres of midges, depending upon the model you choose. There isn't any other product that does this. Unfortunately they cost the best part of £1000.

http://www.midgemonster.co.uk/products.asp?cat=13

Biting Gnats
 

On 2009-06-18 20:00:22 +0100, Moonlight
said:


Anyone with any idea how to get rid of gnats in the garden? They are
only found in the garden and not found indoors. They are like mosquito
bites, only worse.

If you're sitting outdoors, wear an insect repellent - do this when
gardening too plus a hat - and burn citronella candles.
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Biting Gnats
 

"Moonlight" wrote in message
...

Anyone with any idea how to get rid of gnats in the garden? They are
only found in the garden and not found indoors. They are like mosquito
bites, only worse.



Avon's Skin-So-Soft Bath Oil spray keeps the midges and mozzies off without
using any active chemicals.

The midges are there because there is standing water for them to lay their
eggs in, so get rid of any places where water can collect (old pots,
buckets, children's toys and 'drip trays' etc) and you may find it makes a
difference. How much difference will depend on your neighbours' gardens too.

Biting Gnats
 

On 2009-06-19 11:46:51 +0100, Martin said:

On Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:39:36 +0100, "OG" wrote:


"Moonlight" wrote in message
...

Anyone with any idea how to get rid of gnats in the garden? They are
only found in the garden and not found indoors. They are like mosquito
bites, only worse.



Avon's Skin-So-Soft Bath Oil spray keeps the midges and mozzies off without
using any active chemicals.

One drop of DEET based repellant on your clothing works. How much Avon's
Skin-So-Soft Bath Oil spray do you need to use?

You just use it as you would any skin cream and to be honest, I'd
rather use it than something like DEET, if it's being used on a regular
basis. It's very, very good and if lumberjacks use it and find it
effective, that's good enough for me! ;-)
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Biting Gnats
 

On 2009-06-19 12:51:01 +0100, AriesVal said:

On Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:34:25 +0100, Sacha wrote:

You just use it as you would any skin cream and to be honest, I'd
rather use it than something like DEET, if it's being used on a regular
basis. It's very, very good and if lumberjacks use it and find it
effective, that's good enough for me! ;-)

It doesn't work for me tho, I have a range of Avon's Skin so Soft products
but none of them stop the blighters biting me, even thro my clothes :( I
have to use strong Deet!

You're obviously a tasty morsel, Val! Before I found SSS, I sometimes
used OFF!, which I found very effective. They now make something you
wear clipped to your wrist and is a refillable capsule.
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Biting Gnats
 

In article ,
says...

Anyone with any idea how to get rid of gnats in the garden? They are
only found in the garden and not found indoors. They are like mosquito
bites, only worse.




--
Moonlight

Planting eucalyptus trees will discorage them, also planting lots of
Lonicera periclymenum around your garden (attracts moths which attract
bats) and put up bat boxes, despite having two large ponds we do not have
a gnat problem and often sit and watch the bats hoovering up any that
venture in. in truth I suspect my lack of Gnats may be as much to do with
the fact that without grappling hooks and anchors it so windy here they
all end up over Wales (sorry wales!)
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

Biting Gnats
 

On Jun 19, 12:34*pm, Sacha wrote:

*It's very, very good and if lumberjacks use it and find it
effective, that's good enough for me! *;-)

Because we all know if you're a lumberjack you're all right!

The larvae need to get to the surface to breathe. A thin layer of oil on the water will stop them from doing this. Water getting into odd buckets will have to be tipped out, but if you have an open water butt then the oil could be useful. Thinking in terms of oil polution on plants you are going to water then perhaps a vegetable oil would be most suitable. Don't try it on garden ponds - the animal life already in it should soon get rid of any larvae.
Bigal

Biting Gnats
 

On 2009-06-19 18:07:43 +0100, Martin said:

On Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:34:25 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2009-06-19 11:46:51 +0100, Martin said:

On Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:39:36 +0100, "OG" wrote:


"Moonlight" wrote in message
...

Anyone with any idea how to get rid of gnats in the garden? They are
only found in the garden and not found indoors. They are like mosquito
bites, only worse.



Avon's Skin-So-Soft Bath Oil spray keeps the midges and mozzies off without
using any active chemicals.

One drop of DEET based repellant on your clothing works. How much Avon's
Skin-So-Soft Bath Oil spray do you need to use?

You just use it as you would any skin cream and to be honest, I'd
rather use it than something like DEET, if it's being used on a regular
basis. It's very, very good and if lumberjacks use it and find it
effective, that's good enough for me! ;-)

You don't put DEET on your skin. The armed forces of most countries use it in
the tropics. DEET works. It's one of the few repellants that have been shown to
work in scientific tests. I guess the risk of catching malaria focuses
the mind.

Malaria would focus anyone's mind whereas Lariam has been known to
unfocus it. However - not much risk of malaria in UK. Yet.
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Biting Gnats
 

On 2009-06-19 19:13:58 +0100, Martin said:

On Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:55:12 +0100, Sacha wrote:
snip
You don't put DEET on your skin. The armed forces of most countries use it in
the tropics. DEET works. It's one of the few repellants that have been shown to
work in scientific tests. I guess the risk of catching malaria focuses
the mind.

Malaria would focus anyone's mind whereas Lariam has been known to
unfocus it.

L Maria?

Lariam is one of the anti-malaria drugs. A friend of mine's son went
totally loco on it - not unknown, apparently. He recovered but it took
some time and the illness was terrifying to his wife and family.

However - not much risk of malaria in UK. Yet.

It's brought into the country occasionally by international travellers. Of
course there are people who take holidays and make business trips in places
where malaria is endemic

It's not something I can worry about among the hundred other things
we're supposed to worry about!
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Biting Gnats
 

On 2009-06-20 09:32:05 +0100, Martin said:

On Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:58:04 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2009-06-19 19:13:58 +0100, Martin said:

On Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:55:12 +0100, Sacha wrote:
snip
You don't put DEET on your skin. The armed forces of most countries use it in
the tropics. DEET works. It's one of the few repellants that have been shown to
work in scientific tests. I guess the risk of catching malaria focuses
the mind.

Malaria would focus anyone's mind whereas Lariam has been known to
unfocus it.

L Maria?

Lariam is one of the anti-malaria drugs.

It's also an anagram.

Goodness, you're quick! ;-))

A friend of mine's son went
totally loco on it - not unknown, apparently. He recovered but it took
some time and the illness was terrifying to his wife and family.

However - not much risk of malaria in UK. Yet.

It was still endemic on the west coast of the IJsselmeer until the mid 1950s.
DDT cured that problem.

We're pretty sure they were using DDT to spray the banks of the river
at Dalyan when we were in a Turkish hotel a couple of years ago. They
assured us it ws harmless stuff but Ray says he'd know that smell
anywhere.


It's brought into the country occasionally by international travellers. Of
course there are people who take holidays and make business trips in places
where malaria is endemic

It's not something I can worry about among the hundred other things
we're supposed to worry about!

It depends on where you go for holidays.

See above!


--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Biting Gnats
 

Sacha writes
Lariam is one of the anti-malaria drugs.
It's also an anagram.

Not quite. It's lacking an 'a'
--
Kay