View Full Version : Gnats
Just Jack
08-08-2013, 19:58
Does anybody know--why do gnats dive for your eyes, ears, or nose? Are they looking for
something to eat, or maybe, a place to lay eggs? What is the attraction?
atmilkman
08-08-2013, 20:07
Does anybody know--why do gnats dive for your eyes, ears, or nose? Are they looking for
something to eat, or maybe, a place to lay eggs? What is the attraction?
Carbon Dioxide and moisture.
There are different types of gnats. One type is the eye gnat. Laying eggs and/or feeding on mucous are two things they do in your eyes. Pretty awesome isn't it? ;)
Lone Wolf
08-08-2013, 20:19
are there knats in Pinehurst right now? gonna be there in a month
The Cleaner
08-08-2013, 21:43
I also have read that some gnats are going for the moisture in your eyes. The gnats in this area also bite you, for what I do not know, and leave a spot similar to a mosquito bite. At certain times they are so bad that stopping to take a quick photo, you are immediately surrounded by a small horde of them and they can ruin a good picture. They are one of the main reasons I do not hike much during the hottest months. I did read in a small paperback book about the history of Unicoi Co. TN that a survey crew in the late 1700s had camped near Sam's Gap and said that the gnats were very bothersome. So it looks like they have been around for many,many years. I do wear a headnet at times but you look kinda stupid but it does work.A lot of hikers are not bothered by them if you can hike at least 3-4 mph. Building a very small smoky fire helps keep them away while setting up your camp.....
Wise Old Owl
08-08-2013, 21:47
Carbon Dioxide and moisture.
Add a source of salt....
Hill Ape
08-08-2013, 21:53
gnats lay eggs in your eyes?!? omg now i'm freaked out for the rest of the night. really, is that true? is that some sort of common knowledge i've avoided my whole life? jebus crust, i didn't wanna know, take it back
Trebor66
08-08-2013, 23:55
gnats lay eggs in your eyes?!? omg now i'm freaked out for the rest of the night. really, is that true? is that some sort of common knowledge i've avoided my whole life? jebus crust, i didn't wanna know, take it back
This made me laugh!
Hill Ape
08-09-2013, 00:02
sadly i've never been able to control my curiosity. i had to research it, and yes its true. when the eggs hatch the maggot feeds on your eye. a north carolina man recently lost some vision in one eye from just such a thing.
i could have happily lived out the rest of my days without knowing that. i don't fear bears, or boar, or painters, or deer. i fear little things, creepy crawly things. i'm convinced that whatever kills me, will be microscopic.
my father taught me never to ask a question i wasn't prepared to know the answer to. a lesson i did not learn well
QuabbinHiker
08-09-2013, 06:06
Don't fear gnats! They won't bother you. Some lone male hikers on the other hand..
Harrison Bergeron
08-09-2013, 15:51
There are two aspects of the universe. Science describes the aspect we are more familiar with, and the scientific explanation for why gnats dive at your eyes, is exactly as described above.
But then you've got to ask yourself how such a disgusting being could have ever evolved. How can such impossible swarms of these infernal creatures exist when you have never personally met a single person or encountered a single creature infested with eye maggots? That's where it helps to remember that we're not seeing the whole picture.
Gnats, much like mosquitoes, ticks, HOA inspectors, and axe murderers, are merely the physical manifestation of the much more complex beings that we call "demons". Their real purpose in this conscious aspect of the universe is the same as in the greater one -- to harass us.
Why do they dive at your eyes? Because it annoys you. Get a headnet and annoy them back!
Drybones
08-09-2013, 16:02
This made me laugh!
Me to..............
Those same gnats that are sometimes going for my eyes and nose are also mainly going for my ears mostly when I'm perspiring which is all the time if you're currently hiking on the east coast. So, if I understand this correctly the gnats are seeking some carbon dioxide expelled through my nose, some salt and moisture from my ears, and are then seeking to lay eggs in my eyes? And here I though it annoying that I was just smashing gnats on my eyebrows, eyelashes, and under the eyes. Now, I'm not so pleased to know that I'm also squishing gnat eggs into my eyes. GREAT! You made my day. I've been fighting the little buzz buzz bizz constantly as I've hiked lately. DEET doesn't keep them off you either.
danil411
08-09-2013, 20:19
They were very bad during the heat wave a few weeks ago. I tried several methods and Dimples' Gnat Defense System 3.0 worked the best: clear safety goggles, a brimmed hat/cap with fabric softener sheets affixed to both sides of the head. My motto: they cannot attack visciously if they are laughing.
get some skeeter beater. the very best thing ive found for gnats. give it a try. all organic. and lasts a good long time
Wise Old Owl
08-09-2013, 21:30
Here's your jebus crust Stuff happens... its being human!
Welcome to my world!
http://www.surneer.com/worm_in_eye.jpg
Wise Old Owl
08-09-2013, 21:35
I have a test location I am working on that is very heavy in Gnats this year, I have discovered there are three different flies this year on one trail and discovering this under the microscope... I have several test products in mind... and a safe neutral sample..
Here's your jebus crust Stuff happens... its being human!
Welcome to my world!
http://www.surneer.com/worm_in_eye.jpg
Thats just pure T nasty
They were very bad during the heat wave a few weeks ago. I tried several methods and Dimples' Gnat Defense System 3.0 worked the best: clear safety goggles, a brimmed hat/cap with fabric softener sheets affixed to both sides of the head. My motto: they cannot attack visciously if they are laughing.
So that was you who looked like that. I was thinking you wandered away from that "special class outing."
miassis dragon
08-10-2013, 15:33
Here's your jebus crust Stuff happens... its being human!
Welcome to my world!
http://www.surneer.com/worm_in_eye.jpg
Can you see that in your cornea like those floaters everybody sometimes gets?
Wise Old Owl
08-10-2013, 15:40
gets worse as you get older
Sunshine82
08-10-2013, 16:56
I'm very lucky gnats don't like me.skeeters love me tho
danil411
08-14-2013, 09:09
Love it, Dogwood!