Outbreak of biting gnats, black flies in Baton Rouge
BATON ROUGE- The East Baton Rouge Parish Mosquito Abatement and Rodent Control released a statement Monday warning residents of a large outbreak of biting gnats or black flies.
"Unfortunately, they can’t be controlled with the spraying of insecticides designed to control mosquitoes. They are daytime biters and can leave long-lasting lesions where the females take a blood meal," according to the statement.
To avoid these bug bites, the mosquito abatement and rodent control company advises wearing protective clothing and copious amounts of repellent.
The company has sprayed during the daytime in some areas, however, it has had seemingly no effect on their populations.
"The good thing is they will disappear when the weather gets hot."
Some interesting anecdotal comments on effective repellents include vanilla extract and Victoria's Secret Amber Romance body spray according to the EBR Mosquito Abatement and Rodent Control.
They posted a warning to their Facebook page, saying, "Not only do the females bite, but they try to crawl in your ears, nose and eyes. Very annoying."