View Full Version : OK, What's a midge?
Lolabelle
17-Jul-06, 22:39
This midge sound like it could be something that I need to know about. What are they? I gather they bite and make you itchy, but what are they? A mosquito or a little bug?
When are they around and do they swarm or are they loners??
Will I have to now do a whole lot of research on the life and times of midges? :lol:
Cedric Farthsbottom III
17-Jul-06, 22:44
This midge sound like it could be something that I need to know about. What are they? I gather they bite and make you itchy, but what are they? A mosquito or a little bug?
When are they around and do they swarm or are they loners??
Will I have to now do a whole lot of research on the life and times of midges? :lol:
A midge is a wee,wee thing
Its anticts it thinks its fun,
Dressed it bites ye on the arm
NAKED.....on the bum!!!!.....ouch!!!:lol:
A midge is a wee beastie,a flea lookin' thing.If its just one,then ye'll be okay.But,Lolabelle when they have a party and the booze is flowin' and they descend on ye."ITCHY",isnae the word!!
[evil] midgies are horrible little bugs which swarm in the millions and make your life a misery!!! Once you have been bitten a million times and covered in lumps, you will soon understand the misery they cause.
I believe there is 25 different type of midge, and they are wee gits..!!!! sorry cant be any more help..
Billy Boy
17-Jul-06, 22:49
http://images.scotsman.com/2005/07/15/midgeb.jpg
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usfeatures/midges/index.html
[evil] midgies are horrible little bugs which swarm in the millions and make your life a misery!!! Once you have been bitten a million times and covered in lumps, you will soon understand the misery they cause.Then you start to scratch and you can't stop there a nightmare:mad:
And the itch goes on for weeks.
Lolabelle
17-Jul-06, 23:15
what can I say? Does anyone ever go outside in midge season??? I think that the nearest thing we have that sounds vaguely similar are sand flies, but i don't think you can see them, they just get ya! ;)
changilass
17-Jul-06, 23:18
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usfeatures/midges/index.html
Just been on that site cuz, looked at the forecast, it says negligable for today, so how come I am covered in bites[disgust] They are evil little beasts[evil]
Cedric Farthsbottom III
17-Jul-06, 23:20
The midge is the sand flies worst nightmare.
Take this for an example,a totally made up story from a tourist from Holland.
Schottland is lovely,but schee those midges,they were not ready yet!!!!!
Ceratopogonidae, or biting midges (or, in North America, no-see-ums, sand flies, punkies, and others), are a family of small flies (1-4 mm long) in the order Diptera. They are closely related to the Chironomidae, Simuliidae, and Thaumaleidae. They are found in almost any aquatic or semiaquatic habitat throughout the world. Females of most species are adapted to suck blood from some kind of host animal. Culicoides, Forcipomyia (Lasiohelea), and Leptoconops suck vertebrate blood. Some Atrichopogon and Forcipomyia are ectoparasites on larger insects. Dasyhelea feed exclusively on nectar. Species in other genera are predatory on other small insects. Larvae are always found in some damp location, such as under bark, in rotten wood, compost, mud, stream margins, tree holes, or water-holding plants (i.e., phytotelmata). Many of the blood-sucking species, or those that feed via hematophagy, are pests in beach or mountain habitats. Other species are important pollinators of tropical crops such as cacao. The blood-sucking species may be vectors of disease-causing viruses, protozoa, and filarial worms.
AND
No-See-ums (Family Ceratopogonidae)
WHAT IS AN INSECT? A mosquito is an insect. This means it has no backbone, has six legs, and has three body parts (head, thorax (middle), and abdomen (back end). It also means that mosquitoes go through a metamorphosis or series of changes while they’re growing up. Mosquitoes start as eggs, then become larvae (called wrigglers), then become a pupa, then become an adult.
WHAT IS A NO-SEE-UM? No-see-ums are tiny biting flies that often live near water. You often see many of themswarming together in a cloud. Keep your mouth shut or you might breathe some in or swallow them! (It won’t hurt you, but it will probably make you cough.) Biting midges are called no-see-ums because they’re so tiny that it is hard to see ‘um. No-see-ums are less than ¼ of an inch long.
WHERE DO NO-SEE-UMS LIVE? They often stay in shrubs or the thick layer of dead leaves that naturally covers the ground. Scrubbing your feet around in the leaves is a good way to get them stirred up. Don’t do it! Most no-see-ums never fly more than 350 feet from their breeding area, so if they’re bothering you, you might be able to get away from them by moving a few yards
WHY DO NO-SEE-UMS BITE? Only the females bite and suck blood. They need the protein in this blood to make their eggs. No-see-ums will take blood from mammals, birds, and reptiles. Male no-see-ums are nectar feeders and do not bite. While the bite is not painful, it becomes very itchy. Some people get a red spot 1-2 inches wide! Try not to scratch the bites; it makes them itch longer and can make the bites get infected. No-see-um larvae (babies) can be found in water, mud, or moist dead leaves. They especially like to live in the dying plants along the edge of a salt marsh. The larvae eat dead plant and animal matter.
HOW CAN YOU AVOID NO-SEE-UM BITES? The best way to avoid getting bitten by no-see-ums is to wear insect repellent when you are outside in the spring, summer, and fall. Also, move quickly away from the areas where they’re swarming. If you get far enough away, they won’t follow you.
RESOURCES:
George Brims
18-Jul-06, 09:42
In the South of Scotland people talk about "berry bugs" as being something you never see but that bite you anyway - perhaps they are the same as no-see-ums.
Lola once you have got used to midges, Scotland also has a grand beastie called a clegg. It looks like a honey bee, only slightly bigger, and sucks your blood by snipping a tiny circle (about 1/2 mm in diameter) out of your skin! Somehow you might not notice at first, but you sure notice it after a couple of minutes - it stings. Nasty nasty things. Fortunately they seem to be on the decline. They are usually found around cattle.
In the South of Scotland people talk about "berry bugs" as being something you never see but that bite you anyway - perhaps they are the same as no-see-ums.
Lola once you have got used to midges, Scotland also has a grand beastie called a clegg. It looks like a honey bee, only slightly bigger, and sucks your blood by snipping a tiny circle (about 1/2 mm in diameter) out of your skin! Somehow you might not notice at first, but you sure notice it after a couple of minutes - it stings. Nasty nasty things. Fortunately they seem to be on the decline. They are usually found around cattle.
George, oh you have brought back painful memories "Berry Bugs", in my early years as my father worked on a farm in the C.ar.se of Gowrie between Dundee and Perth great soft fruit country, and it was traditional that all farm workers children were employed to pick these soft fruits, (to this day I hate Strawberrys and Raspberrys) but I digress, whilst picking the rasps we would get eaten alive by these tiny little red beasties, and the itching was only calmed down by your Mother liberally coating you in Calomine Lotion, oh happy days.....I think not [evil]
If you are familiar with the North American blackfly, you will begin to have some idea of what a midge is. They both swarm in their millions (not thousands) in the summer (least clothing = most bites!), bite like a red hot needle, have a thirst for blood equal to a rugby player's thirst for beer, and go for any bit of bare skin. :confused
In the South of Scotland people talk about "berry bugs" as being something you never see but that bite you anyway - perhaps they are the same as no-see-ums.
Lola once you have got used to midges, Scotland also has a grand beastie called a clegg. It looks like a honey bee, only slightly bigger, and sucks your blood by snipping a tiny circle (about 1/2 mm in diameter) out of your skin! Somehow you might not notice at first, but you sure notice it after a couple of minutes - it stings. Nasty nasty things. Fortunately they seem to be on the decline. They are usually found around cattle.
Oh dear, don't start me on gleggs. Where a midge bite feels like a red hot needle a glegg bite is like being shot! Nasty wee critters. But don't be put off - come over and experience the real thing. Seriously, you can take the normal precautions.
If you are familiar with the North American blackfly, you will begin to have some idea of what a midge is. They both swarm in their millions (not thousands) in the summer (least clothing = most bites!), bite like a red hot needle, have a thirst for blood equal to a rugby player's thirst for beer, and go for any bit of bare skin. :confused
Ontario's blackflies are the Canuck cousins to the Caithness midge, equally as vicious
" E warst o' insect troch" from Caithness poem "To E' Midgie"
midges are teeth with wings.
but wasps are the skinheads of the insect world.
Of course, we also have to contend with these little beauts! They grow to 5-6 cms long. Fortunately, relatively docile.
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h288/Ricco_T/giant1.jpg
E caithness midge
Ye'll meet 'im here, ye'll meet 'im 'ere
By ro'die, park or bridgie,
There's no a pest on a' 'e earth
Can rouse ye lek 'e midgie.
He'll sample baith yer airms and leygs,
He'll mak' ye cross and fidgy,
He'll never let ye rest in peace,
'E tantalizin' midgie.
He's blistered a' ma nose and ears,
Ah'm spreckled lek a pidgie,
I try a smok' til' scer 'im off,
Bit, faith, he's dour, 'e midgie.
'E shepherd herdin' on 'e hill,
'E toff 'at's in 'e lodgie,
'E love affairs o' Jack and Jill,
's attended by 'e midgie.
Ah've sailed 'e seven ragin' seas,
An up 'e Murrimbidgee,
But roch altho' they wir at times,
They're neithing till 'e midgie.
Against 'e fleeag, moose an' clo'k,
Aw hev a vi'lent grudgie,
But blast 'e warst o' insec' trock,
'E tempan, foosum, midgie
Ceratopogonidae, or biting midges (or, in North America, no-see-ums, sand flies, punkies, and others), are a family of small flies RESOURCES:
Tristan, thanks for that. I often wondered if the midges were like our No-see-ums. I certainly reacted to them the same way.
E caithness midge
Ye'll meet 'im here, ye'll meet 'im 'ere
By ro'die, park or bridgie,
There's no a pest on a' 'e earth
Can rouse ye lek 'e midgie.
He'll sample baith yer airms and leygs,
He'll mak' ye cross and fidgy,
He'll never let ye rest in peace,
'E tantalizin' midgie.
He's blistered a' ma nose and ears,
Ah'm spreckled lek a pidgie,
I try a smok' til' scer 'im off,
Bit, faith, he's dour, 'e midgie.
'E shepherd herdin' on 'e hill,
'E toff 'at's in 'e lodgie,
'E love affairs o' Jack and Jill,
's attended by 'e midgie.
Ah've sailed 'e seven ragin' seas,
An up 'e Murrimbidgee,
But roch altho' they wir at times,
They're neithing till 'e midgie.
Against 'e fleeag, moose an' clo'k,
Aw hev a vi'lent grudgie,
But blast 'e warst o' insec' trock,
'E tempan, foosum, midgie
Unicorn can you now post a translation for the pare lek crauters 'at canna read 'e Kaitness tongue
no way it's fun to imagine them googling it :)
Ee ballad o’ ee midgie by Katarina
In Caithness in ee summer, sometimes ee nights are fine,
I looked oot at ma gairden, and the jungle that wis mine.
Ah thought it wid be perfect, till hev a place till rest,
Wi a glass o’ wine and music, while ee sun sunk in ee west.
Ah hired a manny wae’ a mower, an’ a chainsaw for a fee,
Till cut doon trees an’ bushes an’ build a patio for me
Ah boucht a swing chair oot o’ Lidl’s for a price that wis a’ richt
An lit candles all around id, for id wis a bonny nicht.
Ah boucht a cd oot o’ woollies, o’ Addie Harper’s band
And retired to ma patio wi’ glass o’ wine in hand.
What a gran’ way till unwind, when ee day is done, I thoucht
An’ settled back in ecstasy wi’ a book that a’d just boucht.
Ah thoucht till masel’, noo, when winter looms again
Ah’ll still come oot here till sit, ‘s long as id disna rain
Wi a few lighties roond about, the place shood look first class
An Ah’ll surf ee net for a heater, wan that works on gas.
Boot lurkan in ee bushes wis things ah couldna see
A squad o’ hungry midgies, joost waitan’ for thir tea
Noo, boys, says dad, call yir wives and all yir bairnies too
For we’ll be dining oot ee nicht – there’s plenty here till chew.
Well, here wis ah, settled back, sheltered fae wind an’ weather
When all at wance ah wis attacked by midgies and their fayther.
They bit ma face, they bit ma hans, they nestled in ma clothes
They’re on my book they’re in ma wine, they’re even up ma nose!
Ah took ti ma heels intil ee hoose an’ washed ma face wi watter,
Rolled up ee groat till take a swipe, the peedie pests till splatter,
Ah swiped id here, ah swiped id there, till ma arm wis dirlan’
But ee midgies they came back for more, they were na’ even skirlan’
Noo , at ma bonnie patio Ah gaze wi’ sorry hert,
The beasties fill the peaceful air, lookan’ for desert
ah’m away till surf ee net, no for an ootside heater
Cos’ next time ah go on ma swing, ah’ll hev a midgie eater!
cuddlepop
18-Jul-06, 20:03
There little flying insects that hide in the grass and soil and just wait until you think there not there and attack as soon as you cut the grass or water the plants.
You end up looking like you've got the measels only the itch is worse.[lol]
I really enjoyed you poem. I've been there a few times myself!!!:eek:
Excellent poem katarina!! :)
rockchick
18-Jul-06, 21:04
Ceratopogonidae, or biting midges (or, in North America, no-see-ums, sand flies, punkies, and others), are a family of small flies (1-4 mm long) in the order Diptera. They are closely related to the Chironomidae, Simuliidae, and Thaumaleidae. They are found in almost any aquatic or
<snip>
...they won’t follow you.
RESOURCES:
What a swat you are...show off!
What a swat you are...show off!
If you do your assignments then you too can be a show off[lol]
Lolabelle
Buy AVON "Skin so soft" as worn by lumberjacks to ward off midges. No kidding
ywindy
Eat alot of FRESH garlic (Not powderes or galic pastes)... that is all I do. It repels midges and also does wonders for some bipedal pests as well!!!!!
Well folks, I am one of the lucky few that the wee beasties have absolutely no affect on. My whole face can be covered, no problem.
The Loafer
Chobbersjnr
22-Jul-06, 19:18
This midge sound like it could be something that I need to know about. What are they? I gather they bite and make you itchy, but what are they? A mosquito or a little bug?
When are they around and do they swarm or are they loners??
Will I have to now do a whole lot of research on the life and times of midges? :lol:
I was doing my thing last night playing at a wedding & there happened to be a window open & for the last 15-20 minutes of the gig I got absolutely obliterated by midges
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRR :evil
the height of frustration
I was doing my thing last night playing at a wedding & there happened to be a window open & for the last 15-20 minutes of the gig I got absolutely obliterated by midges
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRR :evil
the height of frustration
Is that a call out for midge after bite remedies?
A dab of ammonia works on Canadian insect bites.
(I am sure that the midge attack made for some interesting music.)
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