MILLER COUNTY ANNUAL BUFFALO GNAT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Natural Resources/Aquaculture
Jennifer Caraway
Miller County Extension Agent
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Research and Extension
Texarkana
Abstract
The Buffalo Gnat Management Program is an annual program that began 30 years ago in Miller County. This program was established to monitor, warn, and assist in potential control of a buffalo gnat outbreak. Black flies are often called buffalo gnats of the family “Simuliidae”. They are aquatic insects that typically prefer clean, fast-running water with temperatures at approximately 50 °F for prime breeding. This is typically in the time frame from December through March. Large concentrations of the gnats can cause death in animals and poultry due to blood loss, irritation, shock, and suffocation. They are tremendous pests of humans, domestic animals, and wildlife each spring and are found in many areas of the United States including areas of Arkansas. One of the main waterways in Arkansas where buffalo gnats can be potentially problematic, is along the Sulphur River running through Miller County, Arkansas and Bowie County, Texas. Lake Wright Patman is a cold-water dam releasing into the Sulphur River. The heaviest populations will be in a 5–10-mile band on both sides of the river from a few miles below Lake Wright-Patman Dam, located near Texarkana, Texas, to the Red River in south Miller County, Arkansas. The objective as Chair of the Buffalo Gnat Management Committee, is to annually determine the severity of a potential buffalo gnat outbreak in Miller County, along the Sulphur River and report back to the committee. This is accomplished by using a boat to scout different points along the river by analyzing debris the larva might be attached to, thus determining the severity by the amount of larva found. This allows our County Extension office to warn producers, homeowners, and landowners within range of the potential outbreak so they can use means to mitigate the harm and/or loss of livestock or domesticated animals. Additionally, if conditions are favorable for an outbreak, an emergency meeting of the Buffalo Gnat Management Committee is called to determine if treatment of the Sulphur River using a Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) insecticide is needed. If so, arrangements are then made to start the process for treatment.
Authors: Jennifer Caraway
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Jennifer Caraway Miller County Extension Agent - Agriculture and Staff Chair, University of Arkansas, Arkansas, 71854