HASTINGS, Minn. – The backyard is usually a refuge, but not at the moment for the Marthaler family, this week their Hastings home has been invaded by a blood-thirsty swarm of gnats.
The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District reports seeing a "bumper crop" of gnats this season from Hastings to Savage near the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers, after the late snowfall made it impossible for the agency to prevent the onslaught.
A photo of dozens of nasty, bleeding bites all over Gwen Marthaler, 5, is being shared thousands of times across social media, to warn other families of what can happen.
Within seconds of Gwen stepping into the backyard kiddie pool, gnats divebombed from above. She ran inside, bleeding profusely from her neck.
"The blood part, was just a lot," said Kelly Marthaler, her mother. "It was so shocking I couldn't look at it after it happened."
Her mother counted more than 50 bites, finding gnats in her daughter's hair, and she took a photo of the aftermath.
"My heart sank as soon as I saw that picture, oh my gosh, we need to stop this," said Holly Fick, the Marthaler family's daycare provider in Hastings.
Fick posted the now widely circulating photo to social media after seeing several other kids in her daycare with severe gnat bites, to warn other families to take precautions.
"In the past three days, I've had half a dozen serious calls about these gnats," said Mike McLean, with the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District. "Just being able in terms to treat it, it's been a tough year."
Some call them buffalo gnats, but the tiny pests are technically black flies that hatch in rivers. While the MMCD agency is out treating rivers now, they couldn't get ahead of this latest bout, the late snow melt making it impossible to treat rivers, so the gnats emerged faster than usual.
"The way gnats bite, they take a chunk out of your skin and they feed on the bite from the open wound, they also put a little bit of blood thinner in there and they can really itch," said McLean. "Gnats hang out in the tree top level and will divebomb people walking underneath them, a lot of times, that is kids."
Gwen understands, but now has all but forgotten her ambush with her bites healing. For her parents though, summer has already left its mark.
"We will be more prepared next time we play outside," said George Marthaler, her dad.
To avoid a gnat attack, a DEET mosquito repellent helps. It also helps to wear a hat, avoid dark clothing and head outside morning or midday. Gnats tend to worsen in the afternoon and evening, and lessen on windy days. The life cycle of the current gnat bumper crop will dissipate in a few weeks.
"This hopefully will be a short-lived phenomenon and we will be able to get back to enjoying summer in a few days," said McLean.