- Latin Name: Chironomidae
- Latin Family Name: Chironomidae
- Common Name: Midge
- Other Names: Lake fly, blood worm (the larvae), chironomid, nonbiting midge
Origin:
These are native insects in North America.
Biology:
These midges are very similar in appearance to mosquitoes, and most also have larvae that live in an aquatic habitat. Some species may also live in wet, decaying organic material under bark or in the soil. The larvae are scavengers and the adults are non-biting. The name “blood worm” is given to some species whose larvae are bright red in color.
Identification:
The adult midges vary in size from less than ¼ inch to well over ½ inch in length, depending on the species. There are no visible mouthparts present. The color varies from light green to brown to very light tan. The body is slender and in particular the abdomen is long and cylindrical. The antennae are often extremely plumose and feather-like. The larvae are long and thin and worm-like with a narrow head and sometimes with short pro-legs on the front segments and the last body segment.
Characteristics Important to Control:
Control of the larvae may not be possible due to the varied habitats and the fact that many of them will live in the mud bottoms of the aquatic habitat. Control of adults is best done by exclusion from structures by managing outdoor lights at night so they are not attracted to a structure and by keeping doors and windows closed or screened. For adult midges that do enter a mist of pyrethrum will quickly kill those present.
