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If you’ve spent any time in Savannah, Ga in the spring or fall, you know all about sand gnats, or as locals call them….the state bird. The sand gnat is not just the mascot for the Savannah Sand Gnats minor-league baseball team, but just like the baseball team, they’ll sting you, draw your blood and defeat you on the field.
In the low country, the sand gnat is more of an issue than mosquitoes or fleas. Sand gnats live along waterways, such as the ocean, lakes, rivers, ponds, and marshes. They fly, bite, and suck your blood just like a mosquito, leaving behind
red, itchy bumps on the skin. Although blood has no nutritional value to the sand gnats, they need it so their eggs can mature prior to laying. Carbon dioxide draws sand gnats from up to 30 yards, they stay in a 300 foot zone where they breed around your home, fly less than 25 feet high and most adult females live for 2-3 weeks.
It is not unusual for the effects of a sand gnat bite to be more intense for a longer period of time than a mosquito bite. Unless you want to cover yourself from head to toe in the sweltering Savannah heat, be proactive. Commercial repellents with Deet can be useful to prevent biting, or you can try a local remedy such as taking garlic pills – that is, if you don’t mind smelling like garlic. However, a more “user friendly” remedy such as rubbing your arms with baby oil will prevent the sand gnats from biting as it provides a protective layer to your skin that the gnats can not penetrate.
For sand gnat treatment at your home or business, Call the Mouse! 888.466.7849 or visit online at www.callnorthwest.com
Barry Teubert
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