Experts ask for public’s help assessing buffalo gnat damage

Insect experts with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture are asking the public for help as it works to assess the scope of losses due to the black fly/southern buffalo gnat outbreak in late March and early April.

Flooding along the White River helped make populations of the blood-sucking fly so dense in and around Arkansas County, they killed cattle, horses and deer and forced the closure of an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission nature center.

“We’ve heard reports of livestock and deer deaths, but we’d really like to have some reliable data for this outbreak for the sake of comparison,” said Kelly Loftin, extension entomologist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “Here’s where we need your help: If you lost cattle, horses or other livestock during this buffalo gnat outbreak, please let us know.”

Loftin said he’d like to know the following:

Date of loss;

Number of animals lost;

Type of animal lost, whether cow, bull, horse, mule, etc.; and

The county in which the losses occurred.

To report livestock losses due to buffalo gnats, contact Loftin at 501-416-3684 or [email protected]. You can also contact your local county extension office. Contact information for county offices is available at: https://uaex.edu/counties/default.aspx.

Southern buffalo gnats, also known as black flies or turkey gnats, are ferocious blood feeders that develop in flowing water during late winter or spring. Southern buffalo gnat populations dramatically decline when temperatures rise to 80 degrees Fahrenheit or above.

For more information about managing pests on livestock contact your county extension office or visit www.uaex.edu.