The Gnat season arrived in force, and we have been out there taking them on as we finish the by-summer projects on the list. These little black devils are undetectable without you looking down to see them on your arm. They crawl through your window screens and under your clothes. Until the itchy welt starts to rise do you realize they've been there and gone.
Gnats show up in May and die off when the temps sustain just over 100 degrees for a few days (typically at the end of June). We're armed: there's the mosquito and Gnat propane powered attractant to catch and kill them; the bug zapper near the house; we eliminate the standing water sources we can find; and still they come in little swarms from early morning to after dusk.
We use the natural bug repellent we make, and that seems to keep them at bay, at least for a while. Other commercial products without Deet don't work and we're just not going the chemical route with our health. We spray the natural oils onto our hands and coat the inside of the dog's ears, run a damp hand along their muzzles and over their heads, and a quick spray on their tummies and backs. There's nothing in it to cause them trouble if they lick it off, and we can reapply as needed.
So, a couple of weeks ago I was off to town and the Hubs needed to get some chores done on the tractor and so the dogs went into the shady outdoor kennel. They love it there, watching the world go by with a big bucket of drinking water and a dog house. When I got home, we discovered Lily was covered in welts. Sam was untouched.
We lay Lil on her back between us, head on my lap and feet on his, as we soothed her with sweet words, topical Benadryl and antiseptic dog spray to relieve the hundreds of bites on her neck, chest, belly and haunches. She closed her eyes and hummed happily from all the fussing.
We haven't had Lil quite a year, which means she came to us after gnat season. Sam has thick lab hair but Lil has nearly-bare belly skin and fine, wiry hair. The poor little girl.
This week we'll be making up more repellent and praying for hot, unrelenting days. And Lil gets the royal treatment from here on out, covering every square inch of skin, just like we do for ourselves. Can't wait for gnat season to be over.
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