There is one period in the Astrakhan region - from the end of May to June, which not only anglers, but also vacationers try to bypass. These days are the peak of the departure of hordes of insects - the Astrakhan midge (yes, yes - with an emphasis on the last syllable). At the same time, her eternal nasal companion, the mosquito, also appears, with which the midge will compete until the beginning of July. It should be noted that midges with their appearance affect only the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and Astrakhan itself, in the lower reaches of the Volga delta this scourge is no longer there, but horseflies, mosquitoes and gadflies are present there.

The same mosquitoes also drink our blood, and in one bite they suck out several times more blood, but the midge gives people much more problems. If a mosquito can bite directly through clothing, then the midge will curl around and try to find a bare area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe body until it gets into a sleeve or collar. Often midges crawl into the ears, into the eyes, crawl into the nose, from where you want to expel it immediately! Just imagine the buzzing of a mini-helicopter in your ear... It is also not easy to drive away annoying midges, nasty insects hold on to clothes with their tenacious paws.

The saliva of the midge has a toxic effect and often causes allergic reactions. After a bite, this place itches like that. If the mosquito drinks blood with the help of its thin proboscis, then the midge, when bitten, gnaws the skin with its jaws and licks the droplets of blood oozing from the wound. The ugly midge for a bite chooses the most vulnerable parts of the body with delicate skin.

Note that only females bite at mosquitoes and midges, the men in the camp of these insects are exceptional vegetarians. Females need blood to start the egg reproduction cycle. If any body of water with stagnant water is suitable for breeding, then the midge should only be fed water from a large river with a fast current. Especially a lot of midges can be born in years with high floods. The slower it subsides, the more insects will hatch and look for food.

The midge has poor eyesight, so it is active only during daylight hours. Insects look for their prey not so much with their eyes, but by the source of heat and the surrounding energy field. That is why midges are disoriented indoors, unlike mosquitoes, which continue to look for their prey. At air temperatures above 35 degrees, the midge experiences a temperature shock and stops looking for food.

With the onset of the first frost, the flying midge dies. The next livestock hibernates already in the form of eggs at the bottom of the reservoir, from which, after the water warms up to +15 degrees, larvae begin to hatch in spring. Mosquitoes prefer to winter in secluded places, where they fall into suspended animation until spring.

Note that until the eighties of the last century there was no midge in the Astrakhan region at all. It appeared in these parts only after the violation of the hydrological regime of the Volga as a result of the construction of a dam.

The same moth

May 25, the water subsides, flew ...

As soon as the flood in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain begins to subside, hordes of midges immediately appear. The slower the water falls, the longer the midge period will last on the Lower Volga. The more the water level drops, the more insects will rise into the air from the drying floors. Usually, the decline in insect activity occurs around June 25-30, first of all, cities and towns are freed from insects, and on the coastal territory, midges can annoy vacationers until July 20 (but not in such plentiful numbers). As soon as dragonflies fly out, whose favorite food is blood-sucking insects, the dominance of midges gradually begins to fade.

If one of the experienced anglers tells you that midges do not stick on the water, then this can be called true only if the boat is moving on a motor. The insects attack the boat standing on the water and the fishermen in it without ceremony. Midges rage throughout the day - from early morning until dark.

The local population fights with midges in a funny way - the inhabitants of the Astrakhan region cover their heads with special wicker nets, which are pre-soaked in kerosene and even in fuel oil! In this case, the midges are repelled by a pungent smell, but for a person this smell is also unpleasant, because you have to wear such a means of “protection” on your head.

mosquito net

As for all repellents and insect sprays, the effect of them does not last long. It depends primarily on the sweating of a particular person, the higher it is, the shorter the effect of the use of repellents will be. Bearing in mind the daily Astrakhan heat in June-July, a noticeable effect will last from 20 minutes to an hour.

We will not bore the reader with all possible ways fight against midges (even the most secret), the effectiveness of which in practice is insufficient.

If you want to protect yourself from bites, then remember one simple rule - dress in special equipment! Now in specialized stores you can find mosquito suits, they cost up to 2000 rubles. Hands must be protected with gloves or exposed areas should be treated with repellent. But keep in mind that when in contact with water, all repellents are quickly washed off! If you were unable to buy a mosquito suit, then you can wear: light pants, socks over pants, a shirt with long sleeve and mosquito net, the lower edges of which must be wrapped under the collar. If the sleeves of the shirt do not fit snugly enough to the wrists, then they can be pulled with a string or elastic band. Fortunately, the midge cannot bite through even the lightest fabric, unlike the same mosquito.

Anti-mosquito suit

As for unprotected areas of the body, one proven remedy works better than any repellent. It is necessary to mix any fat cream (for example, children's) with vanilla and spread on bare parts of the body. This composition works up to 4 hours. You can also use the Reftamid spray, however, it lasts for 2 hours, then the treatment must be repeated.

Mosquito at work

If you are still bitten...

As we noted above, midge saliva is toxic because it contains hemolytic poison. During a bite, a substance enters the wound, which gives a temporary analgesic effect. In addition to it, midge saliva contains enzymes that prevent blood clotting. After some time, itching, soreness, and a burning sensation appear at the site of the bite. The skin around the bite turns red, the temperature of the bitten body area rises. Gradually, the area swells, and the swelling can persist for several days, and this place can itch for several more weeks. It is very difficult to resist the temptation to scratch the bite site, but you still should not do this in order to prevent the formation of sores into which infection can be introduced.

As for medications, it can be recommended to treat the bite site with ammonia. The effect of it will not be immediately, and on fishing it is usually not kept at hand. The gels "Fenistil" and "Psilo-balm" show themselves well, not only from the bites of the midge, but also from the bites of horseflies or wasps.

If an allergic reaction occurs, antihistamines should be taken. It is better not to take Suprastin, Tavegil for fishing - they cannot be mixed with alcohol, and they dull the reaction ... In this case, it would be better to use Kestin or Zirtek, which are devoid of the above disadvantages.

Life during midges

I would like to erect a monument to those heroes who, during the flight of midges, go to the banks of the Lower Volga or Akhtuba as a savage and are going to live in tents. They will tell their friends about this heroic experience for a long time to come. After all, during the moka period, not only eating in the open air, but also coping with large or small needs turns into a whole problem. Midge sandwiches are quite edible, only crunchy (just kidding).

As for staying at the fishing base during the period of midges, everything here is much more optimistic. Indoors, the midge loses its orientation, but it’s still not worth letting it inside! Well, if annoying insects nevertheless climbed inside the dwelling, then the Fumigator will quickly calm them down.

Fishing during midges

The bite of a predator during the flight of midges is simply outstanding, this must be experienced at least once in a lifetime. In June, fishing for spinning near the leaks is very exciting.

Asp, catfish, zander, perch and pike are perfectly caught. Even the sabrefish gathers in huge flocks near the leaks, where it exterminates the rolling fry.

So it remains only to gain courage, take care of the appropriate equipment, and come to our fishing base in June. For the period of departure of the midge, we provide special discounts on accommodation. By the way, you can read a review about midge fishing, which was left by one of our clients in 2011.

A little video about fishing in the Astrakhan region during the midge period

And there's a lot of water

Victoria Shadchina / Society

Victoria Shadchina / Society

At the beginning of this week, a midge appeared in the city. And every day, hordes of winged insects are increasingly attacking Volgograd residents. How long does a midge live, how to deal with it and is it necessary, whom does it not bite, and is its abundant appearance associated with a large flood? The RIAC correspondent asked Volgograd experts, an ichthyologist and an entomologist (scientist who studies insects), to answer these and many other questions.

Why wait for dragonflies to appear
With the advent of midges, Volgograd was filled with aromas of vanilla (a proven way to scare away the bloodsucker), the shortage of which is already observed on the shelves. Vanilla is added to water, splashing yourself from head to toe with an odorous liquid or mixed with cream, then rubbing it into bare areas of the body. For greater reliability, the townspeople arm themselves with maple or elm branches, waving them away from the annoying midge.

According to Sergey Yakovlev, the chief ichthyologist of the Nizhnevolzhrybvod FGBU, it will take several weeks. That is how many midges are active in our region. On average, the life of an adult midge is 3-4 days, a maximum of a week. But most of the life of this insect passes in the form of an aquatic stage.

At the end of May-beginning of June, the midge flies out, - says the chief ichthyologist. - Blood is required exclusively by females to start the egg reproduction cycle. Males, like mosquitoes, do not bite. After they have drunk blood, they go back to the water to lay eggs, and after they have completed their mission, they die peacefully.

There is folk omen that as soon as dragonflies appear, the midge disappears. According to Sergei Yakovlev, there is a completely logical explanation for this sign. Dragonflies are predators and they do feed on midges and mosquitoes. But the number of dragonflies is incomparable with the midge. And they do not exterminate the hordes of vile. The fact is that dragonflies fly out later than midges, when the water warms up more. By this time, the natural process of midge decline takes place.

Hot weather also comes to the rescue. At air temperatures above 35 degrees, the midge experiences a temperature shock and stops looking for food.

And there's a lot of water
The amount of midges is closely related to the flood. “Especially many midges can be born in years with high floods,” says Oleg Brekhov, Associate Professor of the Department of Zoology, Ecology and General Biology of the VGSPU. - The slower it subsides, the more insects will hatch and look for food. For example, now there is no strong flood on the Don and there are much fewer midges than on the Volga and Akhtuba.

The more territory is flooded with water, and the longer it stands, the better conditions for the development of midges, - confirms Sergey Yakovlev. - The midge larva, unlike the mosquito, develops in flowing reservoirs - eriks, channels. The more water, the more movement in the floodplain, the more midges appear.

Why is it useless to poison the midge
The chief ichthyologist notes that, unlike a mosquito, a midge cannot be fought with some drugs. The point is that in running water, which the midge larva loves, any effect of the drug will be short-term, and not affecting the number of flying individuals. At the same time, it will bring great damage to the food base and juvenile fish. After all, the midge larva, due to its small size, is one of the best food for juvenile fish.

Now people are unpleasant that the midge bites, but you have to be patient for the sake of the fish, he says.

Volgograd entomologist Oleg Brekhov is of the same opinion. He is sure that a person incorrectly judges a midge, this is not a bloodsucker, but a food base for aquatic organisms- insects, fish fry. And the fact that a person in this chain is a food base for midges, nothing can be done, this is the law of nature.

Look for salvation indoors or in closed clothes
How, then, to escape within a few weeks from the midge, which is a boon for nature, but an annoying misfortune for humans? After all, it gives people much more problems than mosquitoes. If a mosquito can bite directly through clothing, then the midge will curl around and try to find a bare area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe body until it gets into a sleeve or collar.

The saliva of the midge has a toxic effect and often causes allergic reactions. After a bite, this place itches like that. If the mosquito drinks blood with the help of its thin proboscis, then the midge gnaws off a piece of skin when it bites. It is also not easy to drive away annoying midges; nasty insects hold on to clothes with the help of their tenacious paws.

But there is salvation. On the street, clothes that completely cover the body can save you from annoying insects. The midge cannot bite through even the lightest fabric, unlike the same mosquito. A hat with a mosquito net protects the face and head in the midge season. For those who work on the street, in June it is the hit of the season.

In addition, the midge has poor eyesight, so it is active only during daylight hours. Indoors, the midge is disoriented, so it does not attack or bite.

Unlike a mosquito, which will buzz and bite anywhere, a midge will not bite when it enters a room, even a tent, - says Sergey Yakovlev. - It concentrates in groups in well-lit areas of the room, most often on windows. And right now, she's harmless.

Experts believe that the midge should be treated as a natural phenomenon. It's useless to fight her. Just waiting for it to go away on its own.

In the hot summer time in our homes appears a large number of different insects, so you need to be fully equipped and know how many midges live and how to get rid of them.

Basic information about the insect

The fruit fly is the most common insect in our climate zone. Its size is a maximum of three and a half millimeters in length and 0.5 millimeters in width. Creatures live around fruits and vegetables that have deteriorated or are simply in uncovered containers. The body of the midge has a brown color, small black wings are located on the back.

The female insect lays 200 to 500 eggs in her lifetime. How long do midges live? An average of fifteen to twenty-five days. This indicator depends on climatic conditions and nutrition. In apartment conditions, the larvae turn into young individuals after 27 hours. On average, they need four to six days to mature.

The small larvae of these midges also feed on fruit rot. They are attracted by the smell of wine and grapes. Each of us constantly sees these insects in the summer, they are everywhere: on the streets, in our apartments, shops. That is why the problem of getting rid of them becomes relevant. This is quite difficult to do, but in the article we will still consider several ways.

Their attack on our products lasts exactly as long as mosquitoes and midges live. Throughout their short lives, they feed on rot and other waste so that they can lay eggs and produce offspring.

What do fruit midges eat?

Such insects feed on absolutely all types of fruits, or rather, their rotten remains, and other products of natural processing. Young individuals prefer to eat fresh fruit juice. It helps them grow faster and produce healthy larvae.

A common question is how long midges live in the summer. In the warm season, the average lifespan of a fruit fly is one month. In nature, due to the lack of fruits in the cold season, the fly can feed on the sap of trees, grass, flowers and leaves.

The insect lives in countries with a warm tropical, subtropical or temperate climate. Some species of fruit flies can drink the blood of humans or animals for their life cycle.

How long do midges that feed on blood live? Approximately 20 days. The most massive place of their life is vineyard plantations, because no one will fight the influx of such insects over vast areas. Plus, midges are very fond of grapes.

Methods for getting rid of fruit flies

Midges appear in our apartments along with southern fruits, they can live in garbage cans or fruit bags. Midges can appear even if nothing has gone bad at home and there are no fruits. The thing is that eggs can be laid in advance.

Absolutely fresh store-bought products may already contain fruit fly eggs. They are not dangerous for human body, but it's still quite unpleasant to be aware of the presence of fly larvae on food.

20 days is the answer to the question of how long midges live on the street. In the garbage dumps, it is quite easy for them to find something to eat. However strong winds and other weather factors significantly shorten their outdoor lives.

In order to destroy the maximum number of midges and their larvae, follow these tips:

1. Find and destroy their main habitat in your home.
2. Set the traps in other places where they can be found.
3. Do it regularly preventive measures, which will not allow fruit flies to appear indoors in large quantities.

How many midges live at different times of the year?

Midges live in our microclimate all year round, but depending on the time of year and the temperature outside, they become less.

17 is the number of days that shows how many fruit midges live in the spring. In summer, their activity noticeably increases and their number becomes a record high for the entire season.

In winter, midges are practically not active and live only in well-heated rooms that are not exposed to drafts. Even with short-term contact with snow and ice, the midge dies. Cold weather can kill a large number of insects of this species.

How long do midges live indoors when they have nothing to eat? A few days. Due to the lack of food, both adults and larvae die. Eggs can ripen, but then all the same, offspring from them will not appear.

How long do midges live in an apartment?

The most favorable habitat for midges is our apartments. This is where they feel at their best. The number of eggs laid over a lifetime increases in proportion to the improvement of the habitat.

How long do midges live at home? In our homes, they live from one to two months.

Destruction of the place of residence of midges

Most often, fruit flies live in the bin, rotten products (apples, strawberries, grapes, strawberries, blackberries, watermelon, melons and other common summer fruits and vegetables), bags with vegetables and fruits, in cabinets and flowerpots.

How long do Drosophila midges live? One fly lives in a warm room for a month, but their numbers can grow exponentially. Find the place where they are most concentrated. Sometimes insects can live in a container from under some kind of chemical agent, such as a paint can.

Check the refrigerator. Midges can live in jars of jam, in jugs with compote. It is necessary to try to hermetically close all containers in which products prepared from fruits or vegetables are stored.

Usually, the larvae turn into full-fledged fruit flies in the early morning, so they accumulate a lot in the first half of the day. Toward evening, the activity of annoying insects gradually fades away.

Traps

Prevention

In order to maintain cleanliness and hygiene in the house, regular prophylaxis against long-lived fruit flies should be carried out. How long do midges live in the kitchen? 35-45 days. Such a long period of residence is explained by a sufficient amount of food and a warm, well-lit room.

Rinse out the bin, even if you use bags. Don't put vegetables in cupboards. Regularly take inventory of the refrigerator and pantries.

By following all the simple instructions that are described in this article, you will forget about such a pest as a small fruit midge.

Why are there so many midges this year and when will it end?

On the evening of May 9, the residents of Svetlogorsk suffered the first truly massive midge attack this season. Low clouds foreshadowed rain, it became gloomy and windless, and clouds of blood-sucking midges literally stuck around the walkers and bit very painfully. Entomologists warn that there will be a lot of midges and mosquitoes this year, linking the increase in their number with a comfortable winter and an abnormal warm spring.

Information about the invasion of Belarus by an extremely large number of blood-sucking midges and mosquitoes began to arrive on May 1-2. The first to sound the alarm were the inhabitants of Brest and Polissya.

“Indeed, there is information about a large number of midges in the Brest region and Polesie. For some time they will appear in other regions of the republic”,- Tatyana Volkova, deputy director general for scientific work of the SPC of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for bioresources, commented on the situation to journalists.

According to the scientist, the “invasion” of midges this year is associated with a comfortable winter and an unusually warm spring. In the vicinity of Brest, a massive flight of midges happened already on May 1. They hatched in the Western Bug - there is a strong current that promotes the reproduction of these insects. In the Gomel region, the appearance of midges is associated with the flowering of pine, the pollen of which the midge feeds on. Moshkara gives people a lot of inconvenience: if a mosquito pierces the body, then the midge, as it were, pinches off a piece of skin. Poison, which is contained in the midge's saliva, enters the wound. At the site of the bite, a scarlet swelling develops, severe itching and burning occur, and the temperature may even rise. Those who are allergic to insect bites should be especially careful.

In the Gomel region, the appearance of midges is associated with the flowering of pine, the pollen of which the midge feeds on.

“The consequences after the bites of midges are very unpleasant, experts say. - On the legs and ankles, swelling may not go away for several weeks. Even if there are no manifestations of allergies, it is better to take an antihistamine drug - it will reduce redness and itching.

Midges can pose a great threat to animals. In the 90s of the last century in Belarus, cases of the death of young cattle from a massive attack of midges were noted: insects literally clogged the upper respiratory tract of animals, thereby causing suffocation and sometimes death of young animals. In addition, midges absorb a large amount of blood, releasing poisonous saliva into the animal's body, and with a massive attack of "vampires", intoxication quickly develops in animals.

Fortunately, we will not have to endure the attack of small bloodsuckers for long: within a month, the pine will fade, and then the midges will disappear. But there will be more mosquitoes and flies.

“It’s quite difficult to predict, but, given the weather conditions and what kind of population the midges have, there will also be a lot of mosquitoes,” Volkova concluded.

Behind last years This is not the first such mass invasion. In some years, frosts occurred during the hatching of the larvae, and the midges died, and this spring it was very warm, so they hatched in such numbers. The peak of activity will last another 10-14 days, and then it will decline. Until mid-May, experts recommend limiting your stay near water bodies, especially in the morning and evening, covering the maximum area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe skin and using repellents. A little can scare away midges and essential oils.

Mosquitoes are afraid:

• the smell of valerian, cloves, lavender, anise - you can add a few drops to the body cream essential oil and apply to open areas of the body and face;
• buy crystal vanillin in the store (not vanilla sugar!), dissolve it in water, pour it into a spray bottle, treat your skin and clothes, or hang a baby carriage with a net soaked in vanillin;
• vinegar: mix vegetable oil, 9% vinegar and shampoo in equal proportions and lubricate the skin;
• coconut oil: it forms an invisible protective film on the skin.

Due to cool weather and wind this year, bloodsuckers in Volgograd appeared later than usual. And now the midge is already raging near the water, and mosquitoes fly in flocks around the city and devour everyone in a row. Fanning themselves with twigs, the townspeople dance at bus stops and in parks. Although the bloodsuckers have not yet felt like masters to the fullest. Whether it will still be when the water subsides in the Volga. Increased discharge at the Volzhskaya HPP in 2017 was extended until June 10. Because of this, Volgograd residents will have to survive two midge invasions.

The midges are excreted in coastal zone reservoir with clean running water. The breeding depends on the water level in the Volga, Akhtuba and small rivers. According to average long-term statistics, the midge season in Volgograd lasts about two weeks. But due to the fact that the Volzhskaya HPP extended the discharge, the deadlines were shifted. So the number of midges will increase many times and we are waiting for two peaks of its activity, - said "KP-Volgograd" Entomologist of the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology Galina Melnikova.

And if the wind blows from the Astrakhan region, then a midge can also fly to Volgograd from there. These bloodsuckers easily overcome hundreds of kilometers downwind.

Midge is a common occurrence for the Volgograd region. She was on this territory and 10 and 100 years ago. This year the average flood. So there will be no more midges than, for example, in 2016. It will end by the end of June, - says Oleg Brekhov, Associate Professor of the Department of Zoology, Ecology and General Biology of the Volgograd Social and Pedagogical University.

WHAT TO SAVE FROM MOSHES AND MOSCOOTS?

While midges and mosquitoes have not become brutalized at all, there is time to look for protection from them.

There are many quite effective means of protection against mosquitoes. Spirals, sprays, special devices are in every supermarket and pharmacy. The range of prices - from 40 rubles to several hundred.

Treated against mosquitoes and ponds. Only here in the Volgograd region processing is carried out poorly and in insufficient quantities. Therefore, their number is increasing catastrophically. But treatments from midges are not carried out at all. It is quite expensive and gives only a short-term effect, notes Galina Melnikova.

So the main remedies for midges are a mosquito net, vanillin dissolved in water or cream (necessarily natural, not synthetic), vanilla and clove oil. The latter, although it smells harsh, but acts longer than sweet vanilla. But vanilla can also be sprayed on animals - they also need protection.

These funds have long been known, so prudent old-timers have already rushed to buy saving oils. In many pharmacies, they even put up ads: "no vanilla and clove oil." But there's still plenty of vanillin in grocery stores.

People don't die from mosquito bites. It's just that we have lost the habit of nature and perceive it as an enemy, - says Oleg Brekhov. - If you are allergic to the bites of these insects, go to dangerous period no walks.

But what if these "fighters" attack even at short distances?

The inhabitants of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, where there are hordes of midges, have found another way to fight. It is necessary to take in equal proportions 6% vinegar, vegetable oil and baby shampoo. And smear yourself with this mixture before going outside. They say it helps!

In general, the midge is good. Where she is - there the fish is full. Well, we have to stock up folk remedies and wait out the invasion of bloodsuckers.