Red Laced Cornish X and project talk (pics p. 8)

Has anyone tried a product like
http://www.mosquitobarrier.com/
to combat black flies/"buffalo gnat"?

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Thank you for the link, I'm trying it now. There were only 4 retailers listed for this state, but one was only 16 miles away. I took off for there after calling and not getting an answer; it turns out he's an applicator and not a retailer, and was out mowing his yard when I called. He supplies it to a greenhouse for resale and it was only 4 miles farther away. He was pretty nice, and said the only customer he asked specifically if it was controlling gnats repied "I think so, but I'm not sure." He also told me he knows it works r on mosquitoes and ticks [which are also plagueing me], uses canola oil and Palmolive dish soap added to his mix for better punch, tells everybody it will last 30 days or 3 inches of rain [which ever comes first], and told me to call him with any questions I had. He thinks it will become a major controll agent within 6 to 8 years; right now it has not being marketed strongly and very few even know of it, but his last year's customers have retuned. I went on to the greenhouse, bought a quart, mixed it as instructed, and sprayed part of the area today. The chickens left the fan and went outside a few minutes after I sprayed; that's the first time they've left the fan since I turned it on. I pray it lasts.

While I told people that the dogs and I were OK, I've had diarhea for several days which I thought was from the antibiotics I'm on for Lymes. Last night and today, the 3 dogs all got it too, plus vomiting, and I've had to clean their crates and the deck for that several times today............................ they sometimes just can't hold it till they get outside to the grass. The gnats don't seem to be following them or landing on them, but we all inhale the pesky things. After I inhale them, I get a scratchy throat, hoarse voice, and feel a little ill. The dogs sneeze, and though one's a drooler anyway, they were all drooling today.

I hope that mosquito barrier works for you Steve, it's just awful what happened.

Ok well I was hoping to have a pic before I posted but that didn't end up happening. On the weekend I went to an auction and bought myself a dark Cornish bantie roo. I intended at the time for him to be my first home prepossessed meat bird but he's really sweet and very much the gentleman with the ladies he's in quarantine with (not Cornish, assorted fluffy 'broodies to be'). He's also quiet enough I haven't been night boxing him and my DH hasn't noticed the new crower. I'd thought of using a LF Cornish over one of my Dorkings but hadn't planed to get a bantie till he was going for a ridiculously low price. I started reading this thread from the start and this jumped out at me...

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Funny you should have mentioned Leghorns, I have several bantie Leghorns that were bought as company for a lone chick when nothing else was available. I was thinking this morning 'Wonder what I'd get if I put him over them?' Never know, once they start laying I just might have to try it. It would have to be an improvement on the normal Leghorn cockerel fryer.

I'll try to get some pics tomorrow of my little roo and see what you think of him. I'll try putting him over the scales too, he's heavy!!!
Hopefully he's not an outcast here 'cause he's a bantie.

jeez steve, I wish I could think of something to do for you. Sure hope it gets better soon.

Steve if you get things under control enough that you feel like hatching yet this year let me know, I might have some pull with some experimental Cornish breeding eggs, might be usefull in some of your projects.

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Your inbox is full so I emailed you.

we need to start a meat bird egg chain for steve & keep his bators full for awhile.
Steve let us know your capacity and I know most of us will kick start you, those !@#$ nats should be gone in 21 days.
So sign up here . . . Just PM me as to how many and when you want them - shippings on me for mine. I have two pens of meat bird project breeders looking awesome.

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Very generous of you Katy, though I don't like accepting charity. Right now I still have a bator full, expecting some shipped in the future, and still fighting the buffalo gnats.

I talked to the distributor of Mosquito Barrier today because, even after two sprayings, my coop and pen have reduced numbers, but they're still a problem. He's been on the phone to the manufacturer, and was told that in Canada they've discovered that 12 oz [instead of 3] to the gallon was needed to kill/repel heavy blackfly hatches. He also stated the manufacturer suggested the added canola oil was not necessary for blackfly control, but 2 teaspoons of Palmolive dish soap per gallon of mix was. The canola oil settles on still water that mosquitoes hatch from, and only a slight film of the mix on the surface will kill mosquitoes as they hatch.

I believe I'll either use screen wire or mosquitoe netting to cover a grower for my chicks. I have some ready to go out without heat lamps now, and 14 eggs going to be candled and hopefully to lockdown tomorrow..................... 7 are from my project pen. My bator has 28 more due for lockdown next week...................... and 4 of those are from the project pen; who knows, I may have enough to restock by myself.

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Hi KTCL,
That may be the gnats life span but if there is still a lot of running water they could have a second or third hatch. Once the water flow slows and the level drops the gnats will be gone until next year. Gnat eggs need a constant flow of water to keep them moist so Steve if you have large areas of standing water ask your local vector control for some mosquito fish (Gambusia affinis) to eat the free swimming larva. Dragon fly larva are also good at eating other larva and Gambusia fry when they are small.
I hope your hatches are 100%!
Joe