Little Biting Insects (1 Viewer)

[Ciansy]

Not the name of a band, just a quick rant about the hundreds of little bitey bastards that have absolutely besieged my house tonight. Little or no problem with them at the Picnic, then my first night home and the garage is completely taken over by them. They're waiting outside every door and window, and there are a few sly ones trying to bite me right now. This is getting quite surreal. Anyone know if there are any little bitey bastards that are midway in size between midges and mozzies?

 

[magicbastarder]

i've been seeing a lot of mosquitoes around recently; you sure it's not them?

 

[Ciansy]

I always thought mosquitos were a bit bigger and more spindly than these fellas. Could be them, but I don't think I saw much of this type of biter up till a couple of years ago. They're bloody awful! I had to make a run to the jacks in the garage and I'm now itching all over. Fast workers.

 

[Lolo]

There's an infestation of mozzies in Britain & Ireland cause of all the rain, apparently they breed in stagnant water. Ewwww. They don't like citronella oil, so put some drops in an oil-burner (or get citronella candles), and put a few drops into massage oil and cover yourself with it. Or get someone else to

 

[cephalopod]

I would say it is mossies, they are the intermediate bitey things between midges and the terrifying horse-fly (or cleg) in Ireland

 

[Jill Hives]

I have been told time and time again that they don't exist here but I swear they do.

 

[george mcfly]

if you drink lots of berocca they hate that shit

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

Midges favour tall men and overweight women, study finds

Fifteen per cent of people produce natural repellent and are rarely bitten, research shows


Tall men and large women are prime targets for midges, according to researchers who surveyed people at Loch Ness, in the Scottish Highlands.

Scientists at Aberdeen University and Rothamsted Research, based in Hertfordshire, questioned 325 participants and spectators at a 120km duathlon on the shores of the loch in September 2008. Each was asked if they had been bitten and, if so, how many times.

Tall men and overweight women were statistically more likely to get bitten, the research showed. Midges tend to fly well above head height so, when they descend on groups of people, they are more likely to land on tall men first.

The survey found some evidence that women with a large body mass index were also favoured by midges, perhaps because they produce more of the chemicals, such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid, that attract the insects.

It is likely that overweight men are just as much at risk of midge bites, but there were too few in the survey to stand out.

The researchers confirmed a previous intriguing finding – that some people seem to be unattractive to midges. They found 15% were rarely bitten, and the impunity ran in families, suggesting a genetic link.

"People who don't get bitten produce natural repellents that are extremely effective," James Logan, an entomologist at Rothamsted who worked on the survey, said.

The tests on the duathlon participants and spectators showed those who were spared midge attacks produced a specific mixture of two chemicals, geranylacetone and methylheptenone.
"The chemicals work together. If you mix them in the right ratio, you get a fantastic repellent," Logan said.

The natural repellent is so effective that the scientists have teamed up with an Asian company to release it as a product to deter mosquitoes, midges and ticks. It is due to be released in Asia next year and could be available in Europe in two years.

Recent research shows mosquitoes can quickly become resistant to Deet, one of the most common insect repellents. "Around half to 60% of a mosquito population can become resistant to Deet and that's the best repellent we have at the moment, so it's very important to discover alternatives," Logan added.

The peak midge season in Scotland is between June and September. In some parts of Scotland, a single hectare of land can host 25m biting midges.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/28/midges-tall-men-overweight-women

i am quite tall but i dont recall any midges biting me for years. maybe its because im hardly ever in the countryside. the worst of the biting insects that i have encountered is the new zealand sandfly - complete tossers.

whatever happened to Ciansy i wonder?