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Researchers give tips on reducing midge misery

“Biting midges tend to gather in places that are partially lit but shadowed, such as in bamboo forests or under house roofs.” — Tu Wu-jun, National Chung Hsing University professor

Biting midges were relatively uncommon in Taiwan three decades ago, but have become widespread because of human activity, an entomology expert said yesterday.

To reduce the chances of trekkers being attacked by midges, the National Science Council (NSC) had commissioned National Chung Hsing University entomology professor Tu Wu-jun (杜武俊) to research the life cycle and habits of the pesky insects.

“Biting midges tend to gather in places that are partially lit but shadowed, such as in bamboo forests or under house roofs,” Tu told a news conference yesterday to present the results of his team's research on the Forcipomyia taiwana.

Contrary to popular belief, biting midges are seldom active in the dark or in bright places, he said.

Speaking on the spread of the insect, Tu said that biting midges “migrate on board cars that travel from one place to another.”

“In the study, we found that whereas a car would typically carry one to 10 midges from the outdoors to the city, cars that have their windows open carry between 10 and 30,” Tu said.

Tu advised people who are returning from midge-active areas to close their windows before they start their engines, wait in the car for the midges to appear and kill them before driving off.

Tu's team also found that female biting midges — only females bite — are repelled by the smell of Chenopodium formosanum Koidz — a plant indigenous to Taiwan.

“When subjects apply an extract of the plant to their skin, the number of biting midges that stay on their skin is significantly lower than those who do have not applied the extract ... This extract can therefore be developed into a natural biting midge repellent,” he said.

People can also shield themselves by wearing thick clothing, as the mouth of female midges is only 0.02cm-long, Tu said.

“Although some hungry midges may try to work their way into stretchy fabrics, it is generally better to wear thick clothing to prevent midge bites,” he said.

However, the best way to get rid of them is to kill their larvae by preventing their food sources (algae and moss) from growing.

“By planting grasses that compete for resources with moss and algae, or covering exposed soil with rocks or pieces of wood, people can not only improve their garden but also leave midge larvae with nothing to eat,” he said.
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