Nasty critters!!! They bite…

June 22, 2007

The midgeYep, bound to happen… an entry on midges or the biting variety of a two winged fly also known as “Nematoceran Diptera”.

Everything you heard about them is true. They appear out of nowhere, especially when there’s no wind. First you feel an itch and you see this teeny-weeny little black spot on your skin, boldly traversing your skin hairs looking for bare skin… maybe one and half millimeters… and then you see lots of them. And you feel them too… stings and itches and there’s only one thing you can do and get your ass into the house… and fast!!

There are all kinds of midge repellents. One of the most famous is a product called “Skin So Soft” which is produced by Avon as a skin moisturizer / skin-care product. But it should also repel midges…. makes you think… Well I tried that, while happily working on our new rabbit run during a completely wind still afternoon… and it definitely repels… myself! Gosh, it smells! And the midges, you might wonder… were they repelled? Well I’m not yet sure. For now, I just leave that bottle and flee inside….

Other options, if you persist in being out there when they are as well, are the midge burners. Impressive machines that produce CO2 which attracts the midges and then “collects” them in a container. As CO2 is compound we’re not keen on nowadays, this doesn’t sound like a very environmentally kind solution. So for the time being… no midge burners. Just go inside and try to forget that pretty, silent summer evening…. quick runs in-and-out the house to flip the meat on the bbq and eat inside…. bummer!!

Posted by roger | Filed Under Blog, Nature 

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