Gnats, gnats, gnats--NUTS!

[44man]

I could barely walk the dogs this morning, clouds of the things. In my ears, eyes, etc. I had to break a tree branch and wave it in front of my face. My range is full of them. It is worse then I ever seen it because of all the rain.
I need to find what attracts them. I bought one of those CO2 things once and I could sit next to it. Gnats came to me and I never trapped a single one in the trap so I sent it back.
I use Liquid Net, no good. I hate to smear DEET on but it only keeps them from biting, does not repel them. I need to trap them! :veryconfu
Long ago when I was up at Camp Drum for training, they gave us insect repellent for the black flies. You did not dare put it on your skin, it attracted the things. I put it on my helmet liner nice and thick. That worked, they went to that instead of me. Back at camp I could scrape them off by the millions, all dead.
I think the stuff was called 6-12. I wonder if they still make it?
Has anyone found anything?

[3006guns]

Jeez.........I hadn't thought about good 'ol 6-12 for years. It actually worked pretty good and had that 'distinctive' aroma.

Around here people refer to those little tiny gnats as 'no seeums' because they're so small....but they BITE. I've had a whole swarm get into my hair while I was working and within seconds my scalp felt like it was on fire. Never have figured a way to repel them.......I just stay away from wet areas on hot days.

[44man]

It worked for skeeters but not black flies.

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

good old Listerine mouth wash is the best bug spray ever. Put it in a sprayer and hit you "area"

[blackthorn]

I dont know about black flies but Avon's "skin so soft" or "bounce" dryer sheets work on skeeters. You can pin bounce sheets onto your hat , shirt sleeve cuffs etc. and when you take them off the smell goes with them-- not so with the Avon! The avon leaves you smelling like a two-bit (oops showing my age) $25 hooker and it stays with you until you shower (at least). One or the other might be worth a try. Good luck!

[waksupi]

The logger cure is Skin So Soft, or if you have a livestock supplier, the stronger version is Coat So Soft. Works as well as anything, and you smell real foo foo.

[44man]

I have Bug Off cream that has Skin So Soft in it. I smeared it on and had the largest cloud around me I ever seen. I put some of it on a coffee can lid along with all kinds of stuff I have around the house on a bunch of lids.
So far, the last time I looked the Bug Off has some gnats in it.
Next trial is to find my hard hat and smear it all over and walk around the yard.
I have tried straight Skin So Soft before and dryer sheet, none worked.
I have a Thermo Cell and held it under the gnats so the smoke went through the cloud and they never moved.
A flame thrower is needed. How about a 4" .500 S&W?

These things are so nasty that I tried spraying poison long ago. As the cloud formed, I backed up and hit them with the spray. They move back and come at me again. I figured they are water proof so I mixed dish soap with the poison and it did not work.
Maybe Hoppe's would work! :groner:
By the way, I built 3 of those stink bug traps and have been waiting to try them. It cost $6 to make one. Well there is not a single one around. Last year we had billions.

[44man]

Well, that didn't work. I found the hat and smeared it on thick. They didn't pay any attention to it and came under the hat to drive me nuts. Skin So Soft does nothing.
My little Pekingnese (spelling?) never has any near her but my Peek-a-pomb is swarmed.

[BABore]

Maybe a long shower with a bar of soap and a stiff brush. :dung_hits_fan: :bigsmyl2:

[btroj]

:bigsmyl2:I heard they are easily repelled by soft cast bullets fired from a FA revolver. Sorry, you are toast.

[Houndog]

I don't know how it would work in an open space, but when I had my trucks I used to put a couple of cloves of fresh Garlic on the dash when i was in a "buggy" place. You could sleep with the windows part way down without the bugs carrying you off. An old driver friend from New Iberia Louisanna told me that trick, and it worked well.

[Johnch]

Try a Thermo Cell

I use them deer and duck hunting
Late summer & early fall
I will not go to the range or hunting without one

John

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

and you didnt have to worry about vampires either

[94Doug]

My wife read somewhere that Absorbine JR was supposed to work. We were going to pick some up, and were in a grocery store when we saw it.... we figured it would be cheaper at either WM or some other place. Everyone was sold out! I assume they all heard the same thing. We went back to the grocery store and bought the last two. It didn't work. I have had some luck with Vanilla. Smell like a cookie too.

Doug

[shaggist]

Go to your local Army/Navy Surplus store and see if they have INSECT/ARTHROPOD REPELLENT LOTION. It comes in a dark green squeeze tube containing 2 fluid ounces. It has a portion measuring Strip Diagram on the side, which tells you how much to put on each time. It contains 31.58% DEET and other ingredients unspecified. This is the stuff they issue to the troops here in NC and it will keep off anything-skeeters, deer flies, horse flies, ticks, you name it. It is made by 3M and was written up some years back as to how effective it is. I have used it in the pine forests and pocosin swamps of Eastern NC and suffered no bites from anything. It will last at least 12 hours of continuous sweating and not lose its effectiveness. Try it-it should work for you, too.

[firefly1957]

I use a fine net over my head it keeps all bugs out of my nose,mouth,and eyes. Can get those nets cheap at army surplus stores.

[44man]

Go to your local Army/Navy Surplus store and see if they have INSECT/ARTHROPOD REPELLENT LOTION. It comes in a dark green squeeze tube containing 2 fluid ounces. It has a portion measuring Strip Diagram on the side, which tells you how much to put on each time. It contains 31.58% DEET and other ingredients unspecified. This is the stuff they issue to the troops here in NC and it will keep off anything-skeeters, deer flies, horse flies, ticks, you name it. It is made by 3M and was written up some years back as to how effective it is. I have used it in the pine forests and pocosin swamps of Eastern NC and suffered no bites from anything. It will last at least 12 hours of continuous sweating and not lose its effectiveness. Try it-it should work for you, too.
I have to look for it, thanks. I have a bunch of bottles of 100% Deet from the Marines. It keeps them from biting but the stupid things can't put the brakes on before going in my eye.
I can't respond to Babore! I can't come up with a funnier response. :holysheep Maybe a coat of Felix would cover the dirt! [smilie=f:[smilie=f:

[cajun shooter]

We have a word for them in the marsh of South Louisiana that I can't print here. A friend of mine that teaches at LSU told me that every time you breathe out that tells them where you are at. They are attracted by the CO2. Skin So Soft and other scented products will work on some people but not others. The best thing is a jungle type bug hat that has the netting attached to tie around your neck. We saw a friend who had so many Dryer sheets attached to him that he looked like a mummy. A big cigar always worked foe me when I smoked them. My wife and I had a fishing camp on the Gulf of Mexico and they would always have them in the Spring and Fall in the Marsh. They sold a product at the bait stores called Cactus Juice that worked on most but again not all folks. We had to run our boat which ran 54 MPH by the GPS so that we could eat our morning breakfast and have coffee. I had so many biting my head one morning that my scalp was swollen and burning . They are put here so that if you have a real bad enemy, you strip him down to his birthday suit and put him in the marsh with a pistol with one bullet. We say with in 30 minutes you will hear a shot go off.

[TCFAN]

I always heard that if you cut a hole in the seat of your pants you won't have them in your face.

[BABore]

We have a word for them in the marsh of South Louisiana that I can't print here. A friend of mine that teaches at LSU told me that every time you breathe out that tells them where you are at. They are attracted by the CO2. Skin So Soft and other scented products will work on some people but not others. The best thing is a jungle type bug hat that has the netting attached to tie around your neck. We saw a friend who had so many Dryer sheets attached to him that he looked like a mummy. A big cigar always worked foe me when I smoked them. My wife and I had a fishing camp on the Gulf of Mexico and they would always have them in the Spring and Fall in the Marsh. They sold a product at the bait stores called Cactus Juice that worked on most but again not all folks. We had to run our boat which ran 54 MPH by the GPS so that we could eat our morning breakfast and have coffee. I had so many biting my head one morning that my scalp was swollen and burning . They are put here so that if you have a real bad enemy, you strip him down to his birthday suit and put him in the marsh with a pistol with one bullet. We say with in 30 minutes you will hear a shot go off.

That must be it! :shock: We all know that 44Man expells a great deal of hot air and CO2.:groner::razz:[smilie=l:

[waksupi]

Many years ago, we were camped at high altitude in the High Uinta Mountains. We had forgot any insect repellant, and ended up using rancid bear grease as a deterrent. It worked, but is probably not the best choice for populated areas.

[DrB]

For coastal biting gnats we get fishing in the salt marshes, the only thing I've found that works is tobacco smoke. I've tried thermocells, bugspray, high deet stuff, skin so soft etc

They'll fly into your eyes, nose, and ears to bite you. It's maddening. A cigar or pipe keeps them off.

Dryer sheets work for me in the NC mountains when we get them bad up there, but that's been a few years.

Best regards,
DrB

[troy_mclure]

i often work in the louisiana swamps. the noseeums would tear you up like cajun shooter described.

we were helping out some oyster farmers and they told us about this stuff they sold in a local bait store.

it worked great but had a terrible smell, especially with 8-10 guys wearing it. we chipped in and ordered a case of the stuff.

it was.... Victoria secret amber romance body spray! lol seriously, i would get out of the water, rinse the mud off and hose my self down with the stuff. best gnat repellent ever.

[DrB]

i often work in the louisiana swamps. the noseeums would tear you up like cajun shooter described.

we were helping out some oyster farmers and they told us about this stuff they sold in a local bait store.

it worked great but had a terrible smell, especially with 8-10 guys wearing it. we chipped in and ordered a case of the stuff.

it was.... Victoria secret amber romance body spray! lol seriously, i would get out of the water, rinse the mud off and hose my self down with the stuff. best gnat repellent ever.

I think I'll stick with a stogie. :)

[Bad Water Bill]

I found this spray in 2000 and have never been without it since. Even bought a case of the 4 oz spray. Yes I have walked thru a CLOUD of skeeters and other critters and never been bothered.

http://www.buggspray.com/insect-repellent.html

Just smells like vanilla.

[Changeling]

I found this spray in 2000 and have never been without it since. Even bought a case of the 4 oz spray. Yes I have walked thru a CLOUD of skeeters and other critters and never been bothered.

http://www.buggspray.com/insect-repellent.html

Just smells like vanilla.

Bill I went to there sight and read everything I could find. It seems the active ingrediant is "DEET" at about 25 percent. It is a realy nice site for information though, they lay it on the line, NO BS!

Only thing that bothered me was they refer to Gnats as Black Flies, thats wrong. Black flies are found mostly in the Northern Regins of the US and thrust me they are a Hell of a lot worse than Gnats, but that brings up the question, does it work on Gnats?

[Bad Water Bill]

Try this for DEET free

http://www.buggspray.com/natural-mosquito-repellent.html