Anyone know how to keep the Gnats away!

airscapes

airscapes

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Nov 13, 2013
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Think you all have probably hit a grass field .. i.e. every high school or ball field.. and had the gnat attack.. (Kansas Left overture version was way better ) Only think that keeps them at bay is a 15 mph wind.. which is absent most of the summer.. They laugh at Deet as they land on my glasses and climb up my nose.. .. Guess I can just wait till fall to go out.. Anyone find anything that works to keep them away?
Bet the CIA could use these things to get anyone to talk!
 

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The best answer to gnats is a bug net hat.

At least for me, the gnats only bother me if they're all up in my face. A bug netting hat keeps them off your face, and you can still see and breathe just fine.

Plenty of different kinds on Ebay
 

OWK said:
The best answer to gnats is a bug net hat.

At least for me, the gnats only bother me if they're all up in my face. A bug netting hat keeps them off your face, and you can still see and breathe just fine.

Plenty of different kinds on Ebay
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Yes, I think you may have something there. Not sure I have the kahoonas to wear one on the football field at the local high school.. Not something you see around here and could draw unwanted attention from the hoodlums that wander about.. However, out in the park and in the woods it could work without question.. I will take a look, anything in particular you use and perfer?
 

I bought one in a baseball cap style so I can still wear my headphones. Works very well.

But I suspect the ones that look like Vietnam Jungle hats would work even better.
 

Try the vanilla extract I'm telling yea. Nothing including deet or skin so soft would deter biting gnats but vanilla extract works like magic.
 

Gnats.... It that's the best way to keep him off your face long sleeves with rubber bands on the wrists you guys have no problems until you see the northern mosquitoes and deer flies and things are huge and they really thinking big bite.
 

For gnats I use Tone's Double Strength Imitation Vanilla. I put it in a small spray bottle that fits in my pocket and mist my face, neck, arms, and behind the ears as needed. It works as good as anything I've tried. Also Absorbine Jr doesn't work too bad, but I find Vanilla the most pleasant to use. I've tried the expensive real vanilla extract and I think the cheap Tone's works better.
 

Gnats hate the vanilla, but I found that they also hate Absorbine Jr. just as much. I got them bad here in Indiana and those are the go-to repellents that really work.
 

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A friend of mine who golfs says Bounce Dryer sheet keeps everything away.. one tucked in the shirt collar and one in the back pocket.. I think I may add the vanilla and see if I can stand the smells! Maybe I will start with just vanilla.. I HATE the smell of bounce.. Maybe I'm a Ganat!

Thanks for all the ideas, if I find one that works here in PA I will post it as well!
 

No dice on the Vanilla.. Gnats in PA just laugh at it!
 

The ultimate solution,carry a bottle of 100 proof whiskey,drink frequently,after a while you wont care:laughing7:
 

the best thing I have used is the fresh urine from a lactating female
 

airscapes said:
Think you all have probably hit a grass field .. i.e. every high school or ball field.. and had the gnat attack.. (Kansas Left overture version was way better ) Only think that keeps them at bay is a 15 mph wind.. which is absent most of the summer.. They laugh at Deet as they land on my glasses and climb up my nose.. .. Guess I can just wait till fall to go out.. Anyone find anything that works to keep them away?
Bet the CIA could use these things to get anyone to talk!
Click to expand...

Moth balls in a a custom made head band. Five or six little pouches in front part that each hold one moth ball. I wouldn't use too many and make sure there is headband between your skin and the moth ball. Do not get in your eyes! I can guarantee you the gnats will stay away from your face. Side benefit - punks in parks, think you have a deformed forehead and they give you a wide berth too! Arrrggg! LOL
 

This thread is like deja vu all over again.

The home remedies and their folklore believers pop up like mosquitoes in the Everglades (the most vicious I've found) or black flies in a Canadian Fish camp.

I'm in the woods, cornfields, and swamps all year around, and have tried virtually all of these, and they've come up short; some can't even be dignified by calling them "old wives tales".

Human - insect interaction is a variable one, depending on a lot of factors - temperature, wind, population (seasonal) peaks, species, and the most important one - the life cycle need for blood for females to produce eggs. So - at some life cycle stages they aren't particularly vicious, but at other times they are a lot more than persistent.

Also, most people don't spend enough time in the outdoors to see them at all stages, or they remember the time that dryer sheets worked, and forgot the times (if they ever experienced them) that only a flamethrower could beat them off. Some folks have a different body chemistry too. For some reason, ticks don't accumulate on me, but all other insects do. One of my employees wasn't bothered by mosquitoes, gnats, ticks, or even black flies. It was like he had a "no-fly" zone around him (and he didn't eat garlic).

DEET is an effective repellant most of the time, although I've been out when it had to be reapplied every 10 minutes, 100% no less. It has its drawbacks too; it dissolves plastics, it's readily absorbed through the skin, it stinks and it isn't effective against all insects. It can also affect some folks adversely. I don't get the rashes, skin and mucous membrane irritation, dizziness, headaches, disorientation, and nausea that some report, but a lot of use makes my skin "crawl".

My treatment of choice is Permethrin applied to clothes, including a face net when necessary. It is a proven contact insecticide, so it actually kills all of them, which has an beneficial effect on the immediate population. When I'm in the same place, I notice a gradual absence of bugs as time goes on. It lasts up to two weeks, so reapplying throughout the day isn't an issue. Some mention that the gnats get inside your face net, but if treated with Permethrin, they don't get that far. Farmers up here use it for horses and dogs.

As far as the mentioned gnats go, there's currently a LOT of them here now, and DEET is ineffective against them. They crawl in your ears, up your nose, in your eyes, and don't swear at them or they'll get in your mouth.

Here's some credible links:
gnats • Inshore Fishing in Louisiana • Louisiana Sportsman, LA

The University of Maine - UMaine Cooperative Extension: Insect Pests, Ticks & Plant Diseases - Insect Repellents

A couple of comments I thought you guys would like:

they didnt bother me all that bad at first but as they day went on i lookied like i had rolled around in a bed of needles with all the little red marks on me. i used a whole can of off in one day and i never got any relief from them im thinkin about buying a flame thrower lol

my wife is gonna flip when she discovers that i have taken all her victoria secret lotion and sprays. its really gonna be bad when i come home from a fishing trip with no fish and smelling like another woman. i cant decide what is better letting the bugs chew on me or my wife eating my butt when i get home.

Went Sunday, didnt have a chance to run to the mall beforehand. Used deep woods off it, wind died down, didn't phase the gnats a bit, unless i sprayed it on top of them while they were feasting.
Just be careful where you put it. My wife stole my last two bottles... LOL!

(Victoria )secret stuff

I don't find the stuff worked for me but the shopping experience is fantastic.
 

Assuming you're talking about the non-biting gnats that get in your face, the best thing is a bug net. For some reason DEET doesn't work on them, maybe because they aren't looking for a meal.
 

Boatlode said:
Assuming you're talking about the non-biting gnats that get in your face, the best thing is a bug net. For some reason DEET doesn't work on them, maybe because they aren't looking for a meal.
Click to expand...
Yep, I believe you are correct! Going to order me one!
 

Yep skin so soft by avon i been useing it for years ever since i was in Georgia back in the 80s .
 

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