Are nats attracted to large pine needle trees?

Question

Are nats attracted to large pine needle trees?

Answer 1

Gnats love humidity & they need moisture to breed. They rest on vegetation,  and in the grass during the day. If the pine trees are eceptionally moist, they'd be attracted to them...but they'd be attracted to any moist vegetation. Make sure the pine trees don't have any debris in it (such as leaves from other trees) that is staying moist. It's quite amazing how much debris can collect in their branches over the years.

"Large mating swarms of adults often appear about dusk and may occur for several days, especially after a prolonged wet period. Many gnats are attracted to light... They only live long enough to mate, lay eggs, and die. Eggs are laid in masses in the water or on aquatic vegetation. The life cycle usually takes about 4 to 5 weeks. There may be several generations during the summer but these insects usually disappear with the onset of dry weather."

Eiminating  breeding sites, wet areas or standing water is the best long term control.

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfact...

Since larvae cannot survive in dry soil, one of the easiest ways to control gnats is to allow the soil around plants to dry before re-watering.  Gnats are most commonly found in soil that has a high percentage of organic matter, especially peat moss.  Adding  perlite or vermiculite to the soil will help the take the moisture down to the plants's roots quickly, & keep the top soil from getting soggy.  Keeping the grass cut short will help dry out the area faster & they'll look for other sites that are damp & moist.

Organic insecticides such as insecticidal soap and diatomaceous earth are said to be effective in controlling fungus gnats.

One site suggests using home-made brightly coloured yellow traps. Paint a milk carton bright yellow, coat it with a sticky oil, &  hang the carton where fungus gnats congregate. When the gnats are attracted to the bright yellow colour, they stick to the oil and die.

http://www.pestcontrolcanada.com/INSECTS...

Howard Garrett suggests spraying gnats with  garlic-pepper tea or a plant-oil product called Bioganics:

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/dallasnews.php...

You can place birdhouses around because birds are good natural predators of gnats.

http://www.naturephotographers.net/artic...

  

Also try using saucers of vinegar which can trap & kill gnats that are looking for water.

"fill about 1/2 to 1/4 full, put a piece of cellophan or plastic wrap on top with a rubber band and poke a small(just a knife blade long) in the top."

http://www.kountrylife.com/cgi-bin/viewi...

Or try: "Apple cider vinegar and a drop of dish soap in a small glass. Gnats and flies are attracted to the smell of the vinegar and soap kills them."

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?ar...

Good luck!!!   Hope this is helpful.