Bitey Things

[happyfrenchman]

I'm already itching after reading this thread, and that link... so I might as well ask, what is this "gnat line"? Does it relate to different forest type? Of something else?

I only know what I am told by the locals, of which, I am not.... the fall line is an area in Central Georgia where the central plain ends and the hills and later mountains begin....there is a change in the type of earth which has to do with gnat reproduction.... , so that same area, they call it the gnat line.... if you are below it, you are plagued with gnats.... Where I am located, (South Macon) it seems to vacillate a bit so sometimes it is gnats and sometimes it is not... but when it is.... let me tell you, there are a lot of bugs in the air in Ga.

 

[BockBegock]

I only know what I am told by the locals, of which, I am not.... the fall line is an area in Central Georgia where the central plain ends and the hills and later mountains begin.... and in that same area, they call it the gnat line.... if you are above it, you are plagued with gnats.... Where I am located, (South Macon) it seems to vacillate a bit so sometimes it is gnats and sometimes it is not... but when it is.... let me tell you, there are a lot of bugs in the air in Ga.

Oh my goodness. Sooooo many bugs. The beauty of the land and the quality of life make up for it.

 

[happyfrenchman]

Oh my goodness. Sooooo many bugs. The beauty of the land and the quality of life make up for it.

yeah... it is nice here too.... I misspoke when I said above the gnat line.... it is good to be above it. It is below it that is gnat city. If you are near Atlanta, you are not too far from it yourself. But for the most part, you should be above it.... and yet.... Hopefully mosquito repellent works against what you are experiencing.

 

[dotporter]

I'd rule out gnats. The bites are below the knee. Not likely to be chiggers either, since chiggers like to find a nice warm line like the top of your socks or your underwear band. Not always, but usually.

I'm wondering about the sand. Could it be a type of sand flea?

In any case I'd treat the sand and floor under the coop with sulfur. I've never used it on sand fleas, but it works great for chiggers, ticks, and other ground dwelling biters. You can also dust your shoes with sulfur to discourage anything from crawling up to your legs.

 

[MissChick@dee]

I had a similar problem. I raked real good and sprinkled food grade DE with a sifter for a couple days. We had a lot of rain they seemed to appear after the rain. Lasted for about 2 weeks then they were gone. My asparagus beds had them also. The beds are in the shadiest part of my yard. I believe the DE helped.

 

[SGH]

We are having an issue with getting eaten alive when we go out to the pin to check on the chickens and do our daily maintenance. Initially it seemed only to occur in the evening when my husband goes out to close the coop after they have put themselves to "bed". He would get dozens of bites below the knee. Now this happens at any time during the day. And we can't see them either. The chickens seem to be perfectly comfortable settling down to rest on the ground. I haven't seen any feather loss or scaly leg issues. They look and act to be in good health. Does anyone have an idea of could be feasting on us. We initially thought of no-see-ums; but in the middle of the day? And I figured if mites were the issue, we would see something happening with the chickens.​

How good is your eyesight? The mites I’ve seen on chickens were tiny tiny. Extremely hard to see. I had to look in bright daylight very closely.

 

[Citychickengal]

I’m also in GA, just slightly east of Atlanta so pretty close to the OP. I don’t know about gnats, but the mosquitoes in my yard are terrible, doesn’t really matter what time of day! I always wear bug spray to go clean my coop. Pretty sure it’s just a hazard of living in GA!

 

[PirateGirl]

How good is your eyesight? The mites I’ve seen on chickens were tiny tiny. Extremely hard to see. I had to look in bright daylight very closely.

Generally the mites found on chickens though are not problematic for humans/mammals. If people are being bitten and the chickens don't seem bothered, I'd vote for something other than mites.

 

[SweetTea&Chicks]

Chiggers?

They're little bugs that bite your skin. I've always heard they get in your skin and make you itch

 

[dotporter]

They're little bugs that bite your skin. I've always heard they get in your skin and make you itch

They are HORRIBLE little bugs that are nearly invisible to the naked eye. They bite down and their saliva makes a hardened "straw" in your skin through which they slurp liquified tissue. The hardened straw is what itches so bad. The only treatment I've found for it is to put nair on the bite long enough to dissolve the hardened tissue.