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Are there any type of treatments to kill gnats that are in my lawn? Walking across the lawn in the morning is just about impossible due to the swarming gnats.
Are there any type of treatments to kill gnats that are in my lawn? Walking across the lawn in the morning is just about impossible due to the swarming gnats.
Identifying what these "gnats" actually are would be the first step in deciding what can realistically be done to discourage them. Why do these bugs make a walk across the lawn a problem? Do they bite or just annoy you? Does the same problem occur at other times of day (such as when the lawn is warmer and drier)? There may be a clue there. The problem could also be solved not by altering the lawn, but by altering your behavior. Don't walk across the lawn in the morning. If you do, wear long pants tucked in at the ankle, or use insect repellant.
Last edited by Parnassia; 09-07-2022 at 02:46 PM..
Identifying what these "gnats" actually are would be the first step in deciding what can realistically be done to discourage them. Why do these bugs make a walk across the lawn a problem? Do they bite or just annoy you? Does the same problem occur at other times of day (such as when the lawn is warmer and drier)? There may be a clue there. The problem could also be solved not by altering the lawn, but by altering your behavior. Don't walk across the lawn in the morning. If you do, wear long pants tucked in at the ankle, or use insect repellant.
When I walk across the lawn they swarm all around my face. Sometimes they bite. They are worse in the morning. Restricting walking on the lawn is hard to do when the lawn is wet until after Noon or so. My wife was wanting to trim her bushes in the flower bed and they were all over her. I was spraying around the house for insects when they were swarming me.
Are these the same gnats that got into your wife's plants that she brought indoors for the winter and you made this post about getting a greenhouse to put the potted plants into next winter so she wouldn't have to bring plants back into the house next winter???
Are you sure they are gnats and not fruit flies .... or worse yet, midges? What colour are they? How big are they? What state do you live in? Sounds like you have a serious infestation on your whole property. You may need to capture some in a glass jar and show them to an entomologist or nursery specialist to get a professional ID and suggestions for correct treatment.
As to what to use on the wet lawn until you find out from an expert what the ID of the insects is and what can be used to eliminate them ...... in a pinch for emergency purposes you could use the good old standby of soap. Mix up some very strong soapy water using dish washing detergent and buckets of warm water (not hot, not cold) and spray the living bejeebers out of all the lawns, flower beds, plant pots and get the soil, grass and plants everywhere SATURATED and dripping with the soapy water to kill the live insects. Repeat once a day for the next 3 days.
I've had to do this emergency treatment a few time on other types of outdoor insects that had infested the roots of grass and plants and the treatment did not harm the plants and leaves, grass blades, etc. but it did kill the majority of the insects and the plants recovered.
I prefer to use Palmolive dish detergent as I have found it to be most effective.
Are these the same gnats that got into your wife's plants that she brought indoors for the winter and you made this post about getting a greenhouse to put the potted plants into next winter so she wouldn't have to bring plants back into the house next winter???
Are you sure they are gnats and not fruit flies .... or worse yet, midges? What colour are they? How big are they? What state do you live in? Sounds like you have a serious infestation on your whole property. You may need to capture some in a glass jar and show them to an entomologist or nursery specialist to get a professional ID and suggestions for correct treatment.
As to what to use on the wet lawn until you find out from an expert what the ID of the insects is and what can be used to eliminate them ...... in a pinch for emergency purposes you could use the good old standby of soap. Mix up some very strong soapy water using dish washing detergent and buckets of warm water (not hot, not cold) and spray the living bejeebers out of all the lawns, flower beds, plant pots and get the soil, grass and plants everywhere SATURATED and dripping with the soapy water to kill the live insects. Repeat once a day for the next 3 days.
I've had to do this emergency treatment a few time on other types of outdoor insects that had infested the roots of grass and plants and the treatment did not harm the plants and leaves, grass blades, etc. but it did kill the majority of the insects and the plants recovered.
I prefer to use Palmolive dish detergent as I have found it to be most effective.
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I am pretty sure they are gnats. During the summer they were not that bad, but once it started to cool off they have come back with a vengeance. These things swarm all around our face and eyes. I have to wear safety googles to keep them out of my eyes when mowing the lawn.
I am pretty sure they are gnats. During the summer they were not that bad, but once it started to cool off they have come back with a vengeance. These things swarm all around our face and eyes. I have to wear safety googles to keep them out of my eyes when mowing the lawn.
You may have fungal gnats. I got some in an orchid in my house and boy were they annoying. I ended up taking the plant outside and still see an occasional gnat inside. There are LOTS in my backyard, which is primarily shaded and tends to stay wetter than the front. I have absolutely no clue how to get rid of them. Now I have put a few vegetable raised beds back there and they have lots of bugs but it doesn’t seem to be harming the veggies any. I still have to mow around them and get the gnat experience and occasionally get some biting flies as well.
I am pretty sure they are gnats. During the summer they were not that bad, but once it started to cool off they have come back with a vengeance. These things swarm all around our face and eyes. I have to wear safety googles to keep them out of my eyes when mowing the lawn.
I have never heard of gnats that are this bad. I mean, I'll see a small swarm outside, when walking, or sometimes go through them when biking...but never have I had them in my yard like you describe. What area are you in? You must have some material in the yard that is attracting them. Get some Talstar and spray the lawn. And figure out what is keeping them hanging around, and get rid of it.
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