What Exactly Is A Gnat And What Do They Do?

What a Gnat Is

A gnat is one of a family of insects that includes flies and mosquitoes. Gnats are actually tiny flies, and can go by different names.
Gnats are found anyplace in the world where there is a river or stream because they lay their eggs in watery places. They need the blood of warm-blooded animals to survive. Unlike mosquitoes, gnats usually don’t bite through clothing. But they can crawl into hair or under clothing to get at places such as ankles and belt lines.

What a Gnat Bite Looks and Feels Like

A person who gets bitten by a gnat may not even know it at the time. But soon after, the area around the bite will start to swell up. There may be a little bit of blood coming from the bite. The bite will be very itchy and can be painful.

What You Should Do

If you’ve been bitten by a gnat, wash the bite with soap and water. Because gnats can pick up bacteria from other things they’ve landed on (like rotten food or dead animals), it’s also a good idea to swab the bite with a little antiseptic.
http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/bugs/gnat.html