run from the gnats (Erwin: live in, horse, relocating to)

[Lori Leve]

We live near the Shenandoah mountains in VA now and are thinking of relocating to eastern Tn. The biting gnats, black flies, whatever you call them make our outdoor life here miserable during all but the coldest months. Can we escape them there? We will live out in the county, bringing the sheep and goats with us. If the gnats have to come too, we need to make another choice, maybe Alaska or something.

[mbmouse]

Hello,
I live in the Tri-Cities area, I do not notice the flies you are speaking of. There are gnats here some days but they do not bite. Trust me, if there is a biting bug within a mile of me, it finds me and bites! hahahaahah
I really am not bothered much by bitting bugs here.

[kamoshika]

in the Tri-Cities region, and have very rarely experienced any problems w/ black flies (the gnats that bite).

The only biting flies I've encountered frequently are horse & deer flies, w/ deer flies being more prevalent. They'll attack me and follow me for miles on hikes through the woods if I'm not protected w/ a good bug repellent (30-40% DEET), and their bites are unpleasant. In general, though, biting flies tend to avoid sunny, open areas.

If you have a specific county in mind, it might not be a bad idea to contact the local Cooperative Extension office to inquire further:
Extension Service - Local Offices

[EastTNGal]

The only area in East TN where I've had an issue with gnats is in Erwin. I've spent plenty of time outdoors in other rural areas around here and haven't had a problem.