This is one little critter that is so popular that they named Savannah's minor league baseball team after them. Well, "popular" may not be the right word, but pervasive, they are. In Beaufort, SC, they termed the swatting action of their victims, the "Beaufort Salute". These uninvited guests are sure to crash any outdoor get-together you might attend in the low country. They go by lots of names: No-see-ums, punkies, blood-sucking vampires, sand fleas, and more, many of which aren't repeatable.

While this little insect is only 1/10th of an inch in size its sting can be felt for hours. It leaves a small reddish or whitish welt, about the size of a freckle. Unfortunately, they like to swarm in packs of hundreds, appearing most often in the morning and the evening hours. They are so small that they can easily squeeze through the smallest of window screens. Lights and white materials seem to attract the sand gnat and they are most plentiful around the marsh and beach.

Magnified, the sand flea somewhat resembles a small mosquito, only with a shorter mouth stinger. The sand flea has a dark body, brown colored legs and its wings are translucent, appearing whitish brown when flying.

Eggs are laid in the spring and the fall around areas such as marsh pools, decaying vegetation and plants or anywhere near water. The eggs are laid in strings, often more than five million eggs in just one acre. In about 4 or 5 days, the eggs hatch into "larva". The larva move around by wiggling and feed on tiny aquatic animals.

Soon the larva changes into "pupa" which float in the water like a cork. The larva and pupa are a good food source for small predators such as frogs, birds, insects, crabs and fish. After about a week, sand fleas emerge and begin to fly. Fortunately for us, only about 10% will make it to adults. Unfortunately, that 10% still represents a lot of sand gnats. Your best relief is a good bug spray.