Are You Being Bugged By Gnats This Spring?

They buzz past my ears. Fly into my eyes. Land on my glasses. I'm talking gnats. One even flew into my mouth. Is it just me or are they really bad right now?

I started noticing them orbiting my head as I walked JJ, my greyhound, this past week. They were bad in Sedalia and as I drove back to Davenport this weekend they seemed even worse when we stopped in Hannibal, and back in Davenport they've made walking JJ a completely unpleasant experience.

Gnats seem more prevalent right now, although I have noticed a few mosquitos as well. So is it me? Or has the rain made it worse than normal?

I did a website search on the subject and found a bunch of stories about bugs this spring going back to April. There's this story from KSHB in Kansas City where an exterminator told the station the more moisutre there is, the more bugs there are. That's not good news.

As far as gnats go, News Channel 20 in Central Illinois did a whole story on why gnats are so bad this year. From their story comes this bad news:

Gnats are attracted to moisture, which is why you'll notice them even more, especially with all the recent rain we've been seeing. The bad news is that you can't get rid of them.

The story goes on to say gnats are a springtime pest with a short life cycle. Like mosquitos, they're attracted to standing water, so anything someone can do to control standing water, they'll be better at controlling gnats in the area. If there's one other good thing the story says about gnats it's that while they can be pesky they don't damage your home if they get inside.

I think it's worse this spring because the ground is saturated, grass is growing quick, and some folks aren't cutting the grass because of how wet it is. Somehow while the gnats seem to be bugging me, JJ just strolls around trying to find a sweet spot to take care of his needs without a care in the world. Myslef, I can't wait for it to heat up and dry out.