I would say in over two years as county extension director, we have received more calls about the recent gnat problem than any other area up to this point. I have waited to write this article in hopes the numbers would begin to drop off, which they have. Even though we have several flying insects bothering us now, the black fly also kown as the buffalo gnat is what is causing all the trouble. The black fly is a member of the blood-sucking insect family Simuliidae. The female must feed on human or animal blood to provide protein for reproduction. In Mississippi, two species of buffalo gnats are considered pests, the southern buffalo gnat, Cnephia pecurarum, and the turkey gnat, Simuliim meridionale. They are mostly harmless unless populations increase rapidly like recently.

Q. How can I protect my poultry from Buffalo gnats?

A. There have been reports of poultry loss from Wilkinson County all the way up to Warren County. Due to the large population this year several things can cause death in poultry. Feeding buffalo gnats can often cause poultry to die from toxic shock syndrome or blood loss. If inhaled excessively gnats can clog the respiratory tracts and cause suffocation. Buffalo gnats have also been linked to transmitting leucocytozoonosis, a disease of turkeys, geese, ducks and sometimes poultry.

Backyard producers can protect their poultry flocks by providing shelter or moving them indoors during the daytime because gnats are daytime feeders and do not like enclosures. They also have a choice of permethrin-based, on-animal products labeled for use on poultry. Some of these products also are labeled for use on livestock. Having a fan blowing on the birds to increase air movement will also help reduce numbers.

Q. When will the gnats go away?

A. The best news I can give you is we are almost finished with buffalo gnats. The adults only live for about 3-4 weeks and cannot survive in our hot southern summers. People can use repellents containing DEET on themselves, but these products may need to be applied frequently to have a consistent control with such high numbers.

Q. How do buffalo gnats reproduce?

A. Unlike mosquitoes, gnats, or midges; buffalo gnats live as larvae in shallow, clear, fast-running water in rivers and stream. The black, spindle-shaped larvae live on the river bottom attached to submerged objects and feed on tiny bits of organic matter, algae and protozoa. Larvae transform in the water to adult flies that rise to the water surface in a bubble of gas. They will continue to do so until water temperatures increase to above 75 F. Because of this and because they can travel up to 10 miles in search of a food source, it is difficult and impractical to treat their breeding sites.

Q. What is the best way to keep gnats away from the house?

Unfortunately when we have these massive numbers of gnats present we really have no perfect defense against this pest. There are some pressurized aerosol sprays containing pyrethrins, but these are impractical for treating anything other than small areas. These products only kill insects that are directly hit by spray particles; there is no lasting or residual effect. More gnats will quickly enter the area after the spray has settled. Foggers are beneficial in backyards and patios but may be somewhat unreliable for long term results and can be expensive to treat large areas.

David Carter is the director of the Adams County Extension Service. He can be reached at 601-445-8201.