Gnats swarm the region following wet summer

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The growing number of gnats is plaguing the homes of Oklahomans, and puzzling the expert terminators.

"I roll down the window in my car and they're getting inside my car," resident Mary Jane Ingersoll said. "It's kind of weird."

Experts attribute the nuisance to the dark winged fungus gnat, or the March Fly. Both species are showing up in swarms before they have in the past years, which could be due to the wet summer.

"We had a cool August with lots of moisture and it warmed back up so that's the ideal situation," said Ray Ridlen of OSU Extension Services.

Experts said purchasing and using bug spray is a waste of money, because the bugs are likely to die off soon.

"They're there one day and their entire life cycles is less than 10 days," Ridlen said.

Experts said the pests feed off of nectar and are harmless to humans.