Will it Bite?

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 A mosquito-looking insect just landed on you and you’re worried that it might bite, ergo leaving you very unhappy and uncomfortable. Then, you think about how there is the possibility of it transmitting a deadly disease and now your day has gotten even worse. However, this insect may not even be a mosquito, but a type of Diptera from the family Chironomidae, commonly known as a midge. This specific family of midges does not bite. So how do you tell the difference between a midge and a mosquito? Midges are different from mosquitos in various ways. First, midges do not have scales on their wings like mosquitoes do. Another anatomical difference related to the wings is that mosquitoes have wings that are longer than their body whereas midges have wings that are shorter than the length of their body (Hillsborough County Florida). Midges also have a mouthpart that is very short and not used for biting (Ebeling, 2002). Mosquitoes have a long, tube-like mouthpart called a proboscis for feeding. The female mosquitos have a proboscis that is able to penetrate the skin of humans so that they can get nutrients to develop their eggs (CDC, 2020). Mosquitoes and midges do look very similar because they both have long legs, narrow wings, a small head, and a long, thin abdomen. The male midges have hairs on their antennae to detect the frequency of the female's wing movement.


Midge 
Mosquito 


Most of the midge's life is spent in the water. As larvae, they are scavengers that feed on different types of organic matter that can be found at the bottom of ponds and other bodies of water. The larvae are called bloodworms because of their red color from the hemoglobin contained in their bodies. Midge adults don’t live very long once they emerge from the water. Typically, they only live for about a week or a few weeks (Missouri Department of Conservation). 

 Like mosquitoes, midges form large swarms during breeding. They can be found near bodies of water, where their larvae are located until they enter their adult phase. The male midges create swarms over different areas that include but are not limited to, swarming above a person’s head or above a pool of water. They do this so that females can spot them and fly into the swarm to mate. The midges move together in a way that makes them look like they are dancing or performing some type of mating dance (Missouri Department of Conservation).

 Mosquitoes and midges both use the frequencies of the female’s wingbeats to detect where their specific species are located. Any kind of loud sound or even clapping can cause the swarm to all move towards the sound or become disarrayed. Something that is very interesting regarding the swarming behavior of midges is that some believe that they do this in order to decrease inbreeding by having midges from different areas come together to increase the variability of genetics (Missouri Department of Conservation). Whatever the reason is for the swarming, I still would not like to be caught up in a midge storm.  




So if you see this type of midge or a whole swarm of them, don’t worry, they won’t bite or harm you. It might be annoying but at least they won’t take some of your blood unwillingly like the discourteous mosquito. But, don’t be too quick to try to get rid of them because they are very important to many ecosystems. They provide a food source for many animals like fish, birds, spiders, and dragonflies. They also are indicators of water quality; some species can tolerate low oxygen contents and pollution if there may be any present.





































Sources:

  1. https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/midges

  2. https://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/residents/property-owners-and-renters/mosquito-control/midges-vs-mosquitos 

  3. https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/about/what-is-a-mosquito.html 

  4. https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/biology-and-control-of-non-biting-aquatic-midges 




Image Sources: 

Left image- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito 

Right image- https://theinsectdiary.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-green-mosquito-chiromomid-midge.html 

Bottom image- https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-39898684

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