chemical spray-killing bees-- need advise gnats!! - Ask Extension
Please put me in touch with research being done to control biting gnats in Montgomerey County ,Md. 20854.
3 of my bee hives have been killed by neuro...
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chemical spray-killing bees-- need advise gnats!! #876306
Asked July 08, 2024, 11:05 AM EDT
Please put me in touch with research being done to control biting gnats in Montgomerey County ,Md. 20854.
3 of my bee hives have been killed by neurotoxins( mosquito Joe?) over the past 2 years.
There are hoards of biting gnats and mosquito. People can’t use their yards. The chemical sprays are killing bees and other insects needed for life of crops- birds. We have few fire fly-no lady bugs, grasshoppers. I have a native garden. Most of the passive traps advertise killing of mosquitoes but there seems to be lack of info on biting gnats( ?wood gnats).
I have been in touch with the Maryland state apiary, Md. pesticide departments . It is unclear what chemicals are in Mosquito Joe products.
I am hoping that with education we can build a Pollinator-Bee friendly habitat. To do this we need an effective way to control biting gnats.
Biogent ,a company from Germany, sells passive traps, CO2 addition and now suggest uv light. Is this effective in controlling gnats? There are also beneficial insects I could spray on my grass???
Please advise and put in contact with the correct department. Thank you.
Kathie
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
Hello Kathie,
Since biting gnats (which are flies) share similar life cycle needs with mosquitoes -- the larvae require damp or wet materials to live in -- the approach to managing both overlaps. Finding and addressing breeding sites is the key approach to keeping populations as low as possible, especially when adult flies of various species don't fly very far on their own. This can include clogged roof gutters that aren't draining, objects in a yard that collect and hold rain or irrigation water (toys, bird baths that aren't emptied regularly, flower pot saucers, etc.), and decorative ponds or water features that don't have "mosquito bits" treatment or larvae-eating fish or other inhabitants. Yes, aerial sprays for adult mosquitoes tend to use non-selective chemicals that can affect a variety of organisms, including insects and spiders that would otherwise be preying on mosquitoes in their adult or larval form. Our Controlling Mosquitoes web page has more information.
We are not aware of any local research about gnat control since management efforts for mosquitoes and other biting flies would not be that nuanced to very local conditions (like for a certain county or zip code). Biting gnats would almost certainly be using the same array of senses that mosquitoes use to home-in on their hosts, which includes body heat, body odors (skin scent, sweat, etc.), carbon dioxide from breathing, dark colors (they are less drawn to pale colors and have a preference for the red end of the spectrum), and to a lesser extent, movement. Even ticks use an overlapping range of sensory cues to find a host. In either case, traps using several of those cues to draw-in mosquito adults seeking to bite would probably also work on biting gnats. Traps luring female mosquitoes looking to lay eggs in stagnant water, though will use different scent cues, and might overlap less with other gnat species. UV light can attract many kinds of night-flying insects, including non-biting beneficials and pollinators, though it's unclear to us if the UV is an attractant or some type of sterilant used to kill trapped adults or eggs laid in a trap.
There aren't any purchasable beneficial insects or predators of mosquitoes that can be sprayed on lawns, no. Unlike beneficial nematodes, a type of microscopic roundworm sometimes used to suppress certain caterpillars or lawn grubs that are applied in a water spray, there isn't an equivalent for mosquito adults or larvae. There are microbially-derived toxins that only affect fly larvae (bacteria species Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis) that can be applied to water sources that can't otherwise be emptied or cleaned regularly, like garden ponds.
If a pesticide applicator for a company like Mosquito Joe is certified with the MDA (the agency that grants such certifications for pesticides that are legally restricted or which are applied for-hire), then the applicator should be able (and possibly required) to provide product label information to their client on request. That would include any EPA-regulated active ingredients that you can then look up for their ecological impacts; one resource, while not an exhaustive database, is the National Pesticide Information Center. You can also ask us for feedback if you are looking for information about specific ingredients.
Miri
Since biting gnats (which are flies) share similar life cycle needs with mosquitoes -- the larvae require damp or wet materials to live in -- the approach to managing both overlaps. Finding and addressing breeding sites is the key approach to keeping populations as low as possible, especially when adult flies of various species don't fly very far on their own. This can include clogged roof gutters that aren't draining, objects in a yard that collect and hold rain or irrigation water (toys, bird baths that aren't emptied regularly, flower pot saucers, etc.), and decorative ponds or water features that don't have "mosquito bits" treatment or larvae-eating fish or other inhabitants. Yes, aerial sprays for adult mosquitoes tend to use non-selective chemicals that can affect a variety of organisms, including insects and spiders that would otherwise be preying on mosquitoes in their adult or larval form. Our Controlling Mosquitoes web page has more information.
We are not aware of any local research about gnat control since management efforts for mosquitoes and other biting flies would not be that nuanced to very local conditions (like for a certain county or zip code). Biting gnats would almost certainly be using the same array of senses that mosquitoes use to home-in on their hosts, which includes body heat, body odors (skin scent, sweat, etc.), carbon dioxide from breathing, dark colors (they are less drawn to pale colors and have a preference for the red end of the spectrum), and to a lesser extent, movement. Even ticks use an overlapping range of sensory cues to find a host. In either case, traps using several of those cues to draw-in mosquito adults seeking to bite would probably also work on biting gnats. Traps luring female mosquitoes looking to lay eggs in stagnant water, though will use different scent cues, and might overlap less with other gnat species. UV light can attract many kinds of night-flying insects, including non-biting beneficials and pollinators, though it's unclear to us if the UV is an attractant or some type of sterilant used to kill trapped adults or eggs laid in a trap.
There aren't any purchasable beneficial insects or predators of mosquitoes that can be sprayed on lawns, no. Unlike beneficial nematodes, a type of microscopic roundworm sometimes used to suppress certain caterpillars or lawn grubs that are applied in a water spray, there isn't an equivalent for mosquito adults or larvae. There are microbially-derived toxins that only affect fly larvae (bacteria species Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis) that can be applied to water sources that can't otherwise be emptied or cleaned regularly, like garden ponds.
If a pesticide applicator for a company like Mosquito Joe is certified with the MDA (the agency that grants such certifications for pesticides that are legally restricted or which are applied for-hire), then the applicator should be able (and possibly required) to provide product label information to their client on request. That would include any EPA-regulated active ingredients that you can then look up for their ecological impacts; one resource, while not an exhaustive database, is the National Pesticide Information Center. You can also ask us for feedback if you are looking for information about specific ingredients.
Miri
