Fans and buffalo gnats

[Tattersail]

I live in Eastern NC and come summertime we have gnats that swarm and try to lift you up and eat you up at the same time. I'm not quite sure if they're buffalo gnats though but they're certainly annoying enough. The nearest body of water is in the neighbor's property so I can't do much about preventing them from breeding. I'd rather not spray if I can and I read here in the forums that fans help deter them since they do not like air turbulence so here comes the million-dollar stupid question: where should I put the fan?
I bought a 12" industrial fan that's rated for out door use from Amazon and I was going to have the electrician mount it once he runs power to the coop.
Here's a diagram of the coop. It backs up against a copse of trees and the front faces the yard.

 

[Callender Girl]

I can't offer any advice about mounting the fan, I just set mine on the ground and aimed it toward the girls when we were plagued by buffalo gnats. A few years back, I lost an Iowa Blue hen to the nasty critters and was physically fanning them off my poultry.

In addition to air flow, the gnats seem to dislike vanilla. Maybe it was just coincidental, but I clearly wasn't the only chicken keeper who was spritzing with vanilla spray. Within days, it was nearly impossible to find anything, anywhere to use.

Best wishes with keeping your flock safe!