Scientific Name: Culicoides
furens
Common Name: Sand gnat or Sand
gnats
Who are
they?
Sand gnats as we call them, are members of the family
Ceratopogonidae or "biting midge" family. The sand gnat that seems
to be at its worst when the fishing is at its best! It hatches out
in mass numbers when the temperature and season are just right for
outdoor activity. Sand gnats are insects and therefore have a
typical insect life-cycle that consists of four primary stages:
egg, larva, pupa and adult. Eggs are laid in marsh mud, decaying
plant material, and even standing water. Female gnats bite humans
and other animals to extract a blood meal that is necessary for the
successful development of their eggs.
So why does it hurt like mad when a gnat takes a
meal from your arm or, even worse, your scalp? The secret is in the
mouth parts. Sand gnats don't just puncture your skin like
mosquitoes do.
Instead they rip it open using sharp cutting teeth located on the
mandible. After inserting two sharp, sword-like blades into the
skin as anchors, the sand gnat uses the cutting teeth to rip up
the
skin and get the blood flowing. As if that weren't enough, the gnat
then squirts a chemical into the open wound to inhibit blood
clotting. The tiny pool of blood that forms is then sucked up
through a straw-like structure called the proboscis. Some human
victims have allergic reactions to the chemical and must endure
itchy red spots or even swollen welts.
The Importance of
Sand
Gnats
It is their painful bite that makes sand gnats
important to coastal Georgia's tourism economy. Tourists who are
interested in outdoor activities are more likely to cancel
their plans if the gnats are going to ruin the experience. This
results in a loss of business for industries depending upon tourism
dollars.
So why not attempt to control sand gnat outbreaks?
Because sand gnats are integral features of a healthy salt marsh
ecosystem, controlling them with pesticides is neither successful
nor good for the marshes. Larval gnats share space in the marsh
with young fish and shellfish species that are commercially and
recreationally valuable to our economy. Pesticide application would
negatively impact both target species like sand gnats, and
non-target species like juvenile fish. Additionally, sand gnat
larvae are an important food source for other animals found in
Georgia's salt marshes and estuaries.
Protect Yourself
From
Bites
Wear lightweight long-sleeve shirts and long pants.
Button your shirt collar or wear a bandanna to protect your neck.
Wear a hat or cap to keep the gnats out of your hair. Apply an
insect repellant on exposed areas of skin. Be sure to read the
product label and instructions for applying the
repellant.
So what does this have to do with the cache...
nothing really. Other than the fact that these little suckers
were eating me alive when I was putting this cache out. And,
I wanted to spice up the fact that this really is just a P&G
micro.
Info taken from- http://crd.dnr.state.ga.us