5 Reasons Why Your Garden Is Full Of Midges

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If you reside close to a fenland, a beach, a riverside, or a lake, you may have encountered some little blighters, otherwise known as midges. These buzzing creatures leave an irritating collection of bites on your skin when they bite you.

This blog post reveals why midges keep returning to your garden and how to get rid of midges outside naturally in simple steps.

But first, let’s get an idea of what midges are.

Midges are tiny flies that grow near swampy areas. They are mostly found near ponds or naturally occurring lakes.

These creatures enjoy hovering around food, diving into your drinks, and making buzz sounds around your ears and nose. Midges love gardens, and gardeners see that all the time, especially during summer, midges come in numbers to make their way into our home.

If you’ve found these creatures around your environment, continue reading to discover what attracts them and how to repel them.

What Brings Midge Swarm To Your Garden?

Midges are often found in gardens due to various factors that attract them to these areas. Here are some reasons why midges are commonly found in gardens:

1. Flower Nectar

Colorful flowers characterize a garden. But with flowers come insects, especially midges.

Midges are highly attracted to flowers that produce a lot of nectar, such as daisies, asters, and goldenrods. These flowers are known to have a high sugar content in their nectar, which is what attracts midges and other insects.

Also, midges are fond of pleasing fragrances. That is another reason you will always find midge fly-around flowers.

2. Plant Juice

Many plants in your garden breed a juice called fermented plant juice. It helps the crops absorb all the healthy nutrients before they grow ripe and are harvested.

Like all other insects, midges love high-sugar juices. Male midges love plant juice because of its sugar content. Some trees produce sap, and let’s know how they have sap.

3. Standing Water

Midges lay their eggs in stagnant water, particularly attracting them to areas with standing water, such as ponds, bird baths, or garden water features.

Midges lay eggs in massive proportions. These eggs stay in water for a couple of days until they grow into midge fly larvae and pupae and emerge as adults.

4. Light Attraction

This must have brought to your mind all the flashbacks of a bunch of moths/ midges circling outdoor lights. Some species of midges bite and feed during the day, while others feed at dusk and into the night.

Midges are particularly attracted to lights, especially at dusk and into the night. Outdoor lights can draw midges to garden spaces.

All those outdoor lights placed higher than the ground level would have midges flying around.

How To Get Rid of Midge Flies of Your Garden and Prevent Bites

The secret to keeping midges at bay is to avoid those things that bring them in. But it’s not always easy because you can’t pluck out all the flowers and fruits from your garden to deter midges.

Or should you not visit your garden at all to avoid midges biting?

While that’s impossible, we have outlined some tips to help you keep midges away from your garden.

  • Avoid Standing Water: Midges are attracted to stagnant water, where they lay their eggs. To prevent midge infestations, empty pet water bowls, paddling pools, and other containers holding stagnant water.
  • Use Insect Repellent: Applying insect repellent to your body can help repel midges and prevent bites.
  • Minimize Bright Lights: Midges are attracted to lights, so minimizing the use of bright outdoor lights can help reduce their presence.
  • Keep Doors and Windows Closed or Screened: Ensure that doors and windows are tightly closed or screened to prevent midges from entering your home.
  • Practice Good Hygiene: Midges are attracted to body heat and odors, so maintaining good personal hygiene and using air conditioners to keep them away from buildings can be helpful.
  • Eliminate Their Breeding Habitats: Midges lay their eggs in wet or swampy soils, so reducing moisture and standing water in your garden can help prevent midge infestations.
  • Use Traps and Screens: Consider using biting insect CO2 traps, small-mesh screens in windows, and sticky traps to capture midges and prevent their entry into buildings.

Set a Midge Trap

Setting up CO2 solutions and traps is an easy and excellent way to keep midges at bay. Mix apple cedar vinegar with a few drops of washing liquids. Midges are attracted to this solution’s smell but are trapped when they land on it.

Do not forget to empty and clean the bowl. Repeat this process until you can no longer find midges within your environment.

Midge Bite Remedies

If you’ve had a midge bite, the following simple steps will help ease the discomfort:

  • Clean the affected area with mild soap and water and dry with a clean towel.
  • To relieve the itch, repeatedly apply a clean washcloth dipped in cold water for 5-10 minutes.
  • To reduce swelling and the itch, ice the area with a cold pack or ice cubes wrapped in a clean cloth.
  • Consider taking an over-the-counter antihistamine.
  • Use antiseptic creams if you have bleeding from scratching the bites.
  • See a doctor if the pain or swelling persists after a few days.

Differences Between Midges vs Mosquitoes Bites

CharacteristicsMidgesMosquitoes
ProboscisNoYes
Wing AppearanceResemble barren panes of glassHave scales that look like fringe or fine hairs
Biting BehaviorPainful and itchy bites, can turn into welts up to two inches in diameterPainful and itchy bites, can transmit diseases such as Yellow Fever, Malaria, West Nile Virus, Zika, and Dengue Fever
Breeding HabitatsSemi-aquatic or aquatic habitats, such as ponds, marshes, and saturated rotted woodStanding water
Swarming BehaviorYesNo

Conclusion

There are plenty of ways to get rid of or control midge in your area; however, the most effective way to keep midges at bay is to avoid those things that bring them in.

Following the tips in this post will help you have a ‘midge-free’ garden with no more irritating bites on your skin.

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