Buffalo Gnats

M.Stephens · Sun Apr 19, 2015 5:39 pm

Buffalo gnats are really bad around my area. My martins are just egg laying now. What is the best tried and true product that keeps them away from my hatchlings when they hatch? Right now I can't even go around the martin houses without getting swarmed. I found a dead ASY female under one of my gourd racks. I don't know if the gnats will kill adults?

I found this earlier article. I wonder if I can still find Fly 's Away II or Absorbine Fly's X.

http://purplemartin.org/update/13.4-Blackflies.pdf

Louise Chambers · Sun Apr 19, 2015 6:48 pm

Malcolm, look for absorbine jr fly control products, often sold for horses - use on the outside of the housing only. Ultrathon 3M product lasts longer per treatment if you can find it. Inside nests, some landlords said using pure vanilla extract on a cotton ball under the nest helped. Could not hurt to try that too.

M.Stephens · Mon Apr 20, 2015 9:55 am

Thanks Louise,
My horse could use some of it too!!

Tim m. · Mon Apr 20, 2015 8:41 pm

Dear sir I personally have to put up with gnats every year . I use absorbine jr. soaked into cotton balls put two in each nest down in nesting material. I do this every couple days if they are really bad spray outside of house or gourd with horse spray only on outside. If you don't stop them they will kill all your young ones . Believe me ,I know from experience! It works , here to help Tim millard

M.Stephens · Mon Apr 20, 2015 10:48 pm

Thanks Tim m.,
If they are here when the martin eggs hatch I will definitely try it!

KathyF · Tue Apr 21, 2015 12:30 pm

Whatever year they had all that rain in Iowa, there was a gentleman there (can't recall his name) that used the vanilla extract to save his babies too.

Last year, in the evening while taking pictures, they were swarming me, so I put pure vanilla extract on my face (it was sticky!), but wow did it ever work! Even more shocking was that it didn't attract mosquitoes or anything else to bite on me either.

A friend was here this weekend and mentioned oil of oregano too, so this year, I'm trying a bit of that....careful with it coming into contact with bare skin though.

M.Stephens · Mon May 18, 2015 5:31 pm

Buffalo gnats are still here and I have young in the nests. This last Saturday's nest check I lost 3 nests of young. I have not or did not notice any buffalo gnats on or in or around the nest or housing.

I lost a SY female the weekend before. She flew into the ground after being chased by other martins and I'm thinking one of those nests were hers.

Can just a few buffalo gnats kill young?
I have not tried any of the Absorbine jr. Products.
I was under the impression that a lot swarming buffalo gnats are what kill nestlings? I don't have swarms of the gnats but they will pester the heck out of you while setting in the yard during daylight hours. All of my other nestlings seem to be fine.

I'm thinking a Coopers possibly may have gotten one or two of the parents.

I'm trying to figure out how I lost those nests.

Louise Chambers · Mon May 18, 2015 7:22 pm

Malcolm, it's possible that just a few bites can kill a small nestling. I think one bit me last week - I had a huge welt that itched worse than anything I can recall lately. Try the absorbine and some vanilla, cannot hurt to treat outside of houses.

M.Stephens · Mon May 18, 2015 7:35 pm

Louise I wonder why all of the nestlings would die in those nests? Wouldn't other nests be affected by the gnats? As of last nest check I had 182 nestlings. I'm thinking a hawk got one or both parents.
I'll have to get horse feed this week so I'll stop and look at the Absorbine products. I have vanilla extract too.

Louise Chambers · Mon May 18, 2015 8:08 pm

That's what I was just thinking, too - gnats would not kill all young in two nests, but not touch any others.

Just don't be making us any cakes with absorbine vanilla flavoring, please

Archer · Mon May 18, 2015 9:34 pm

Something to consider, I lost some to gnats last year, the nest was located on the lee side of the house(opposite the windward side) All other nests were not affected. The gnats do not do well with wind and will concentrate in areas out of the wind. Just a thought.

Matt@atx · Tue May 19, 2015 10:54 am

Ok, so what to do for these tings is put 2 cotton balls of regular Absorbine Jr (that people use for sore muscles) soaked into cotton balls under the nest and spray horse spray on the outside around the entrance.

What kind of horse spray should be used?

Matt@atx · Tue May 19, 2015 10:56 am

Louise Chambers wrote:Malcolm, look for absorbine jr fly control products, often sold for horses - use on the outside of the housing only. Ultrathon 3M product lasts longer per treatment if you can find it. Inside nests, some landlords said using pure vanilla extract on a cotton ball under the nest helped. Could not hurt to try that too.

Ok, Louise, I see what kind of Absorbine Jr your talking about here.

Matt@atx · Tue May 19, 2015 11:01 am

Tim m. wrote:Dear sir I personally have to put up with gnats every year . I use absorbine jr. soaked into cotton balls put two in each nest down in nesting material. I do this every couple days if they are really bad spray outside of house or gourd with horse spray only on outside. If you don't stop them they will kill all your young ones . Believe me ,I know from experience! It works , here to help Tim millard

Hi Tim,

Thank you for the information along with everyone else on this thread.
So you use a horse product Absorbine Jr (?) in 2 cotton balls under the nest.

then If its really bad, you'll use horse spray on the outside on entrances in addition to the cotton balls inside(?)

What kind of horse spray is it?

I am not aware of any problems like this at this time but we have had lots of rain like everyone else so who stinkin knows.

lynnh · Tue May 19, 2015 11:39 am

M.Stephens wrote:Louise I wonder why all of the nestlings would die in those nests? Wouldn't other nests be affected by the gnats? As of last nest check I had 182 nestlings. I'm thinking a hawk got one or both parents.
I'll have to get horse feed this week so I'll stop and look at the Absorbine products. I have vanilla extract too.

Hi Malcolm, sorry to hear about loss but that is exactly what happened at our colony a few years back ...we had a gnat problem and we lost 2 complete nests of approx 10-14 day old babies and the rest of the nestlings in that house were not affected and their age ranged from newly hatched to almost fledge age...In answer to your question I think thats what could have happened

M.Stephens · Tue May 19, 2015 9:48 pm

Lynnh do you think that the gnats may very well be the culprit?
I live about a half mile from a river and we've had an awful lot of rain. I couldn't stand to lose more nestlings. My six year old grandson is doing nest checks with me. He loves the martins and especially the young. That's all he wants to see is the babies. I don't want to subject him to that anymore. He's already witnessed wing entrapment which claimed 3 martins and a dead female setting on eggs........

I noticed martins back in one of the compartments that evening after I disposed of the nest and cleansed and pre-nested the compartment.

Here's a picture of my grandson helping with nest checks........

4th Gen Martin Fan · Wed May 20, 2015 9:05 am

Malcolm,
My wife walked by the computer, saw your grandson, and noticed his blue rubber boots.
She likes his boots along with the color coordinated shirt and says he is much cooler than I will ever be.
Great work encouraging him to love the martins.
Mark.

lynnh · Wed May 20, 2015 10:07 am

Yes I do think that the gnats could be the problem ...I know it was in my colony a few years ago the gnats were swarming around me as i was trying to check out my nests. Loved the picture of your grandson hope he keeps his interest we need more young people to take over

M.Stephens · Wed May 20, 2015 2:14 pm

I'm uploading a photo of a nest of four that perished last week. Don't open the link if you don't want to see the perished nestlings. Those with any experience with buffalo gnats do the nestlings look as if they've been bitten to you?

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m59 ... 8mzbcb.jpg

Matt@atx · Wed May 20, 2015 7:10 pm

Hi M,

I'm sorry to see what has happened to your baby Martins. Yes sir, something got to them. I'm no expert at all but would say it looks like hemorrhaging under the skin but I cannot see the actual wound site to see if it looks like lacerations or puncture wounds a Sparrow would usually cause or more like a bite.

From the painfulness I have read about black fly bites and that it only takes a handful of them to kill a nestling, it would look like a bites.
gets one mad that a puny stinkin insect would do that to them.