4 ms·

The worst things I've ever encountered are not mosquitos, but somehow related. They are midges. I had my encounter in Scotland, and ever since that encounter I

The worst things I've ever encountered are not mosquitos, but somehow related. They are midges. I had my encounter in Scotland, and ever since that encounter I don't mind mosquitoes one bit. Because the problem with midges is that they surround you in thousands, land, possibly enter orifices (nose, ears) and bite you (they don't sting, they bite). I ended up with >100 bites per arm and >200 per leg from a limited time of exposure.

telchior 4y ago
Midges are not solely in cold, muddy places like Scotland, sadly. They can also be found at beaches, in tropical areas, and a variety of other habitats. I'm currently near the equator, and midges are more of a bane here than mosquitoes. But they do thrive very, very well in places with permeable soil. Scotland has its peat bogs (for those unfamiliar with the country: in some regions, basically all ground is peat). In the past, the country experienced freezing temperatures during most winters. But with global warming, that's no longer true. The freezes would kill many midges. Now, you can encounter hellish swarms of the little beasts. Scotland isn't the worst, though. I've read that in Siberia, during the summer months, biting flies swarm so thickly that they can kill. Cattle have been found suffocated, their nostrils completely clogged with flies, and some of the local tribes traditionally went into tents and just waited out the swarms for a few weeks or months. Here's a fun little video: https://englishrussia.com/2015/09/01/mosquitos-and-insects-in-siberia/ https://englishrussia.com/2015/09/01/mosquitos-and-insects-i...
- plumeria 4y ago
  > They can also be found at beaches, in tropical areas, and a variety of other habitats. I'm currently near the equator, and midges are more of a bane here than mosquitoes. Correct, in Costa Rican Spanish they are called purrujas.
sethammons 4y ago
Wild. I didn't know about biting midges. I'm in Montana and live next to a huuuuge lake. Clouds of non-biting midges. Mosquitoes however, they are large, slow, and hurt when they bite as opposed to the SoCal mosquitoes I was used to that you didn't notice until later when you were scratching at the bite.
chasd00 4y ago
There’s something in SE Oklahoma that is pretty nasty. I was walking with my wife in the woods when she screamed and something flew away from her leg, it bit her so bad she had blood running down her calf.

telchior 4y ago

Midges are not solely in cold, muddy places like Scotland, sadly. They can also be found at beaches, in tropical areas, and a variety of other habitats. I'm currently near the equator, and midges are more of a bane here than mosquitoes. But they do thrive very, very well in places with permeable soil. Scotland has its peat bogs (for those unfamiliar with the country: in some regions, basically all ground is peat). In the past, the country experienced freezing temperatures during most winters. But with global warming, that's no longer true. The freezes would kill many midges. Now, you can encounter hellish swarms of the little beasts. Scotland isn't the worst, though. I've read that in Siberia, during the summer months, biting flies swarm so thickly that they can kill. Cattle have been found suffocated, their nostrils completely clogged with flies, and some of the local tribes traditionally went into tents and just waited out the swarms for a few weeks or months. Here's a fun little video: https://englishrussia.com/2015/09/01/mosquitos-and-insects-in-siberia/ https://englishrussia.com/2015/09/01/mosquitos-and-insects-i...

plumeria 4y ago
> They can also be found at beaches, in tropical areas, and a variety of other habitats. I'm currently near the equator, and midges are more of a bane here than mosquitoes. Correct, in Costa Rican Spanish they are called purrujas.

sethammons 4y ago

Wild. I didn't know about biting midges. I'm in Montana and live next to a huuuuge lake. Clouds of non-biting midges. Mosquitoes however, they are large, slow, and hurt when they bite as opposed to the SoCal mosquitoes I was used to that you didn't notice until later when you were scratching at the bite.

chasd00 4y ago

There’s something in SE Oklahoma that is pretty nasty. I was walking with my wife in the woods when she screamed and something flew away from her leg, it bit her so bad she had blood running down her calf.