11 Easy Tips on How To Get Rid of Midges
We’ve all seen them. Clouds of tiny little flying bugs, all fluttering around in a condensed cloud, just waiting for a victim to irritate. These are midges, and they’re a nuisance like none other. They buzz around ears, fly into eyeballs, or bite exposed skin on arms, necks, legs, and even faces. They’re a pain, which makes learning how to get rid of midges (something this article will help with) very important.
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What Are Midges?
Midges are strange little bugs. Also known as no-see-ums, “midges” actually describes many, many different types of tiny flies. These species include net-winged midges, gall midges, biting midges, phantom midges, non-biting midges, mountain midges, meniscus midges, dung midges, and solitary midges, however, there are over 1,100 species in North America. They’re also widely known as sand flies.
Most of these species resemble mosquitoes, however, they are actually tiny flies. They measure less than ⅛-inch long and have very small, thin bodies.
But that’s a lot of species names to deal with, and no one needs to be confused about an annoying little bug. If we were to separate midge species in the most useful manner, we’d separate them into two categories: biting midges and non-biting midges.
Biting vs Non-Biting Midges
The most helpful way to separate midges is into two categories: non-biting midges and biting midges. Non-biting midges, also known as blind mosquitoes, are relatively harmless. These insects are annoying, as they may fly into eyes, mouths, or ears, but they don’t bite.
Biting midges are a different story altogether. These little pests (specifically the females) need the protein in blood for egg production. For this reason, they bite organisms to extract blood, and the bite can be painful. But, only female midges bite. This is similar to how most bee species’ females sting, while the males don’t.
Midge Life Cycle
Midges lay eggs in standing or slow-moving water, or damp areas like bogs and tall, wet grass. The female lays 50 to 150 eggs on a moist surface, and those eggs then hatch into caterpillar-like or worm-like larvae, depending on the species. The larvae grow for anywhere from 2 weeks to a year before becoming a pupa, which are large non-feeding worm-like grubs or maggots, which they remain for 2 to 3 days. After this short period, they emerge as full-grown adults.
As adults, males and females feed on plant nectar and plant sap. Then they mate, after which the males die and the females lay eggs, completing the life cycle and dying a few weeks later.
Where Do Midges Come From?
Midges come from damp, moist areas, as you might’ve discerned from the lifecycle of the midge. This may include ponds and slow-moving rivers, but it may also include buckets of water left around a home, puddles underneath decks and porches, or even wet basements.
Midges may also find thick, moist vegetation like tall grass to be suitable for laying eggs. As the midges emerge, they’ll look for food sources in those areas before completing their life cycles.
What Attracts Midges?
There are a few things that midges are attracted to. Midges find the majority of their nutrition from flower nectar and plant sap, as these are sweet, high-energy food sources. However, they also like fruit juice and similarly sweet substances, just like sugar ants, when they can find them.
However, females are on another mission altogether. This part of the species requires protein to produce eggs. They get this protein by biting and sucking blood from humans, animals, reptiles, and similar creatures. They also consume bodily fluids from smaller insects in order to obtain protein.
For this reason, one of the most common attractants for biting midges is the CO2 that humans and animals emit when they breathe, as well as body odor. This is likely the reason why midges fly into our faces, annoying us so intensely.
Are Midges Dangerous?
Midge bites can be very uncomfortable. They can cause itching, rashes, and even infections from time to time (specifically in Central and South America, Africa, and some Caribbean islands). And, midges can transfer diseases like bluetongue virus and African horse sickness virus to livestock. However, when it comes to humans in North America, they are not known to transmit diseases. Essentially, they’re not any more dangerous than other similar pests like drain flies.
However, midges are incredibly annoying and they can make an otherwise pleasant outdoor adventure maddening. They also sting when they fly into eyes, and can cause us to choke when they fly into our throats.
11 Options for How To Get Rid of Midges
Put plainly, midges suck. But learning how to get rid of midges is important. The following are some of the most tried-and-true methods for getting rid of midges. Keep in mind that it may take a regimen that includes several of the following options to win the battle, however.
Reducing Body Odor
Midges are attracted to body odor, so reducing the amount of body odor you’re producing may help keep them at bay. Taking an additional shower during the day, wearing deodorant, and attempting to stay cool and reduce your body heat throughout the day may limit the amount of interaction you’ll have with these insects.
Use Insect Repellent
Insect repellents are especially effective at getting rid of midges. While most folks are aware that some insect repellents contain chemicals that are less than ideal, there are natural options on the market that are potentially safer. We suggest Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Natural Mosquitoes Repellent for its efficacy and pleasant scent, as far as midge repellents go. However, doubling it up with a BuggyBand can help, as well.
You can also consider fogging the backyard with a mosquito fogger. While these products won’t target eggs, they can help reduce the amount of flying, biting insects in the air.
Removing Standing Water
Removing standing water is a surefire way to reduce the amount of midges you deal with. Installing drainage in wet parts of the yard or removing trees that block sunlight can be effective methods for reducing moisture. Conversely, planting certain tree species, such as weeping willows, can help absorb moisture in the yard and reduce the standing water. This can translate to long-term midge population reduction.
Treat Standing Water with BTI
If you can’t remove standing water, one of the best ways to treat it is with BTI, or bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. Also known as mosquito dunk, this is a mosquito and midge control larvicide that only attacks target organisms, making it relatively environmentally safe to use to reduce the adult midge population. You can place BTI pellets in ponds, puddles, or even gutters to kill the midge larvae before it can mature.
Window and Door Screens
When you’re trying to figure out how to get rid of midges, don’t forget to check your doors and window screens. Midges can fly through very small holes in these barriers, meaning they can easily make it into a home. This is particularly annoying at night when you’re sleeping, expelling tons of CO2, and midges are walking through your screens like swinging saloon doors.
Fixing window screens is actually quite easy, and there are kits available that include everything required. However, for doors that don’t have screens, Magic Mesh can help keep some midges out, though some may still slip through. These methods can also be effective at keeping other insects, like stink bugs, at bay.
Use Insecticides (Tekko IGR and Supreme IT)
There are products on the market that stunt the growth of insects, keeping them from reaching their mature stages or reproducing. Tekko IGR is one of those products, and when applied to a yard, it can reduce midge populations within three to four weeks, and lasts up to 90 days before another application. Keep in mind that this product is dangerous for fish and aquatic creatures, so it needs to be used properly and safely.
Supreme IT is a more straightforward insecticide, containing bifenthrin and chlorpyrifos. These ingredients attack the insects’ nervous systems and kill them. Keep in mind that while this product is effective at reducing midge populations, its sale may be prohibited where you live as it is a powerful insecticide.
Note: At RiddaBugs, we encourage a more natural approach to insect control. However, we also know that some folks need fast results, and we don’t shame those folks for using insecticides. We simply request that you do your research and use insecticides safely as these products can be harmful to other insect species and animals.
Use CO2 Mosquito Traps
If you want to kill two flying pests with one stone, try a CO2 mosquito trap. These traps emit CO2 gas similar to a human or animal, and as no-see-ums or mosquitos fly in to investigate, they’re sucked inside and trapped. Once inside, the constant flow of air dehydrates and kills them. Biogents’ BG-Mosquitare CO2 trap attaches to a propane tank and produces its CO2 bait to lure midges in.
Light Control
Instead of learning how to get rid of midges with chemicals, repellents, and traps, you could simply swap out those bright white light bulbs in the front and backyard of the house. Light bulbs that emit yellow, pinkish, or orange colors are the least attractive to midges and mosquitos. Often referred to as bug lights, this easy swap may make the backyard more comfortable on those midge-mania nights.
Here’s a tip: Don’t change all of your lights to bug lights. Leave a light on the far side of the property as is, and swap out the rest with bug lights. Midges will be attracted to that one light while the rest of the yard stays relatively midge-free.
Minimize Fertilizer Usage
Here’s one you might not have thought of: Reduce fertilizer usage. Fertilizer is obviously rich in nutrients, and as it runs off the soil and collects near ponds and other standing water, it enriches the water with the nutrients midges thrive on. While this is potentially true for all types of fertilizer, a better option includes natural fertilizers like leaf litter.
Lower Air Conditioning Temperatures
One of the best tactics when learning how to get rid of midges is to cool off. Lowering your air conditioning temperature keeps midges from getting cozy in your home. Midges like warm, moist air, and by dropping that temp, you’ll raise your energy bill but reduce midge numbers.
Do keep in mind that air conditioning units can trap moisture due to condensation, so it may be necessary to lay a BTI pellet in the housing.
Wear Appropriate Clothing
This might seem like cheating, but the truth is that wearing the appropriate clothing for the conditions (in this case, midges) can go a long way to preventing midges and other biting insects from snacking on your skin. Female midges’ mouths aren’t long enough to bite through clothing, so wearing long sleeve pants, shirts, and a buff can protect most of the vulnerable skin from bites.
Keep in mind, however, that the more body heat you produce in those long pants and shirts, the more sweat you’ll produce, and eventually, midges will be attracted to you anyway. So this method is best for short jaunts, not all-day protection.
Cut Grass to Encourage Air Flow
Tall grass can capture moisture and be the perfect breeding ground for a midge infestation. Make sure to keep grass short to promote air flowing over the ground and drying moist soil. The added benefit to this approach is that it reduces not only midges but also other flying insects, as well.
How To Get Rid of Midges FAQs
Even with all of that background on how to get rid of midges, there may be some additional questions fluttering about. The following are some of the most common questions asked about how to get rid of no-see-ums.
What home remedy gets rid of midges?
One of the best home remedies for getting rid of midges is to handle any standing water. Be sure to empty any buckets or containers that contain water, fill potholes in driveways, encourage drainage in the yard, and remove trees or limbs that are blocking sunlight over damp parts of the yard. Also, planting trees like weeping willows can help reduce the amount of groundwater in the area.
However, if you’re looking for a solution with a product you might already have on hand, Vicks VapoRub can be effective at getting rid of midges. A little bit on the skin will repel them.
How do you get rid of midges fast?
The fastest way to get rid of midges is to use an insect repellent like Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Natural Mosquito Repellent. However, this is temporary only temporary and will require reapplication. Another option is to use CO2-emitting traps.
How do you keep midges away?
If the goal is to keep midges away, one of the best approaches is to change the light bulbs in the area to bug lights, but keep a standard bulb in a distant light. This will drive midges to the standard light rather than the lights in the area. This is particularly effective in a backyard.
Does Vicks deter midges?
The menthol that Vicks contains can chase midges away. They don’t like the scent and it can also mask body odors.
