HELP - Midges Covering Front Of My House

shaken not stired

Hi All,

Hopefully this is in the right forum.

At this stage Im at my wit ends and would love any suggestions from people, preferably ones that wont leave a big hole in my pocket such as having to call someone from a pest control company as that would be a no no for me unfortunately :mad:

I moved into my new house 7 months ago, in the last month and half usually after 10 pm the front of my house, doors, windows and walls starts to get covered in midges flies. I have never dealt with anything like this before were I lived previously and have no clue how to deal with them. Its now starting to look like a house out of a horror movie. At first I thought they looked like little mosquitoes from there long bodys but from doing research they seem to be midges flies.

I have tried home made remedies using garlic, cider vinegar, which hazel, tee tree, lavender and eucalyptus oil. I even sprayed my front door with a store bought insect repellent but nothing seems to be deterring theses nuisances and every night more and more seem to be coming.

When leaving the house I always make sure no lights are on but they still manage to get inside because they do be at the door opening when entering.

I have never been bitten as much in my life by midges as I have been in over the last month.

I should also mention I live in a estate close enough to a forest and have a street light facing my front door on the road if that matters.

Thanks Guys

worded

Navy seals believe it or not use this :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B008EU9HRA/ref=ox_sc_sfl_image_2

It's the only thing that stops insect bites some people I know have told me.

How to get them away from your house is another story

shaken not stired

Ill definitely order that and give it a try for myself. Now if only they did liter sizes bottles for exterior purposes

If you do find any other suggestions for the house ill be very grateful too :pac:

worded

shaken not stired wrote: »

Ill definitely order that and give it a try for myself. Now if only they did liter sizes bottles for exterior purposes

If you do find any other suggestions for the house ill be very grateful too :pac:

I think it poss to get giant citronella candles like of you are having a bbq. Search amazon.

Oh you may need a parcel motel setup to get that cream as they may only ship to uk.

Best of luck op

periodictable

You could try spraying the walls with a pyrethrin based knockdown spray like Raid.

endacl

Have you considered introducing spiders?

Lots and lots of spiders...

uberalles

endacl wrote: »

Have you considered introducing spiders?

Lots and lots of spiders...

The egg plant I think its called encourages lady birds that feast on green fly.
Could work as well.

search for enemys of ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Norwesterner

worded wrote: »

I think it poss to get giant citronella candles like of you are having a bbq. Search amazon.

Oh you may need a parcel motel setup to get that cream as they may only ship to uk.

Best of luck op

Resistance is futile.
Those expensive candles and "flesh-eating plants" aren't worth a bollix to a determined squadron of midges.
You need a natural predator.
Bats and birds.
Ensure there is no stagnant water around your house, (old barrels, inside tyres etc)
Midgees are active at dawn and dusk.
Remember you are in their territory, they're not in yours.
Adapt and live with it basically.

karl tyrrell

They must be getting the last bit of the days heat of your house I say they are gone in the morning I would use the back door to enter the house the weather will change soon and they will be gone

endacl

The forest is the problem OP. midge flies have a similar life cycle to mosquitoes. Only the females bite, in order to obtain blood to use is a second cycle of egg production when conditions are good. Unfortunately, conditions have been very good this year. The males live on tree sap. The front of your house provides a nice warm after dinner rendezvous point for the lads...

They also have a very short life span, so even if you were to decimate them, the next wave would be along shortly. As a natural predator solution, you'd need something that would consume them in huge numbers all summer long. Have you anywhere you could encourage swallows to nest?

kylith

You could look at rigging up a trap to catch the ones biting you. They're apparently attracted by the CO2 you exhale, and I've heard of people making traps using a bottle, water, sugar and yeast. Here's a how-to for making one for mosquitos.

Along with that you'd probably be looking at encouraging natural predators, if you can, by making living space for swallows, bats and, if there's water around, frogs.

Supercell

Have you talked to your immediate neighbours and asked if they have the same problem and if they are there for a while what they do about it if anything? I think you need to establish if its just something about your houses immediate area or if its a more general problem in the area before trying to figure out what to do about it.

It could just be the unusually hot weather this year is causing them? I used to live right beside a forest in Wicklow and in my four years there I never had this issue but maybe certain trees attract them? Hopefully a return to the more normal cool damp Irish weather will lessen their numbers too.

Norwesterner

Supercell wrote: »

Have you talked to your immediate neighbours and asked if they have the same problem and if they are there for a while what they do about it if anything? I think you need to establish if its just something about your houses immediate area or if its a more general problem in the area before trying to figure out what to do about it.

It could just be the unusually hot weather this year is causing them? I used to live right beside a forest in Wicklow and in my four years there I never had this issue but maybe certain trees attract them? Hopefully a return to the more normal cool damp Irish weather will lessen their numbers too.

We had a Sycamore out the back yard and the underside of the leaves were black with midges larvae.

kylith

Norwesterner wrote: »

We had a Sycamore out the back yard and the underside of the leaves were black with midges larvae.

Midge larvae are aquatic, so it can't be them. It's more likely to be a caterpillar of some sort.

Norwesterner

kylith wrote: »

Midge larvae are aquatic, so it can't be them. It's more likely to be a caterpillar of some sort.

Maybe not larvae but actually midges from reading this.
http://www.gardenlaw.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6829
I'm talking the underside of the leaves black with masses. Definately not caterpillars.

shaken not stired

I have spoken to the neighbours. The ones to the side of me have not experience midges covering there house but I have checked out a empty house next to me and that seems to have them as well. My house and the empty one directly face the forest. We both have street lamps outside on the road. So the lighting is definitely a big factor in it.

As for tress there are none yet in our estate neither on the paths or in our gardens . It's only a new estate 7 months old. I have bought mint plants a bit on the small side at the moment. Going to place them at my hall door hoping it will help. There are a good few frogs which come out of the forest so there must be standing water in there. The forest is protected and as railings going around it so I haven't been able to get into it.

Norwesterner

shaken not stired wrote: »

I have spoken to the neighbours. The ones to the side of me have not experience midges covering there house but I have checked out a empty house next to me and that seems to have them as well. My house and the empty one directly face the forest. We both have street lamps outside on the road. So the lighting is definitely a big factor in it.

As for tress there are none yet in our estate neither on the paths or in our gardens . It's only a new estate 7 months old. I have bought mint plants a bit on the small side at the moment. Going to place them at my hall door hoping it will help. There are a good few frogs which come out of the forest so there must be standing water in there. The forest is protected and as railings going around it so I haven't been able to get into it.

Don't go anti-trees as a result.
Ironically, you may need trees and hedgerows to provide habitat for the midges natural predators: the birds.
That empty house sounds like the cause. Look for pools of water, or water trapped in barrels, upturned tyres, blocked guttering etc.

endacl

If they're really driving you nuts OP, it might be worth investing in something like http://mosquitotraps.co.uk/Products/Mosquitotrapsoutdoors/tabid/60/CategoryID/3/List/0/Level/a/ProductID/14/Default.aspx?SortField=Free3%2cProductName

gctest50

shaken not stired wrote: »

There are a good few frogs which come out of the forest so there must be standing water in there. The forest is protected and as railings going around it so I haven't been able to get into it.

How big is the forest ?

shaken not stired

gctest50 wrote: »

How big is the forest ?

It's a small forest just across from our estate I say about 10 acres or more

gctest50

Pair of dozers be safe and quick if they're thin

endacl

Would be a great idea if the OP owned the trees and didnt want trees any more...

Supercell

If the neighbours don't have the problem then its unlikely the forest is the root cause. I agree with Norwesterner, have a look around the empty house, are there stagnant pools of water around or any damp places they can breed away with out being bothered? Definitely seems likely thats a good starting point.

Norwesterner

gctest50 wrote: »

Pair of dozers be safe and quick if they're thin

We have less trees than Tunisia.
Yes, Northern Saharan Tunisia.
We (despite trees growing faster than any EU country) have less tree covering than the EU average
What exactly are you suggesting to rid of a minor midgee problem in this guys house?
Sweet Jesus Christ, I despair of Ireland sometimes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_forest_area
Did you ever think bogland was the cause?
What would you do then?
Concrete over it?

Assassin saphir

My parents house used to be the same when I lived at home. In the summer evenings they used to cover the kitchen window and back door. It was like a horror film and you got mouthfuls of them when you wenr outside. They didn't go near the other windows. It might be the lighing you have. There was florescent lighting in our kitchen. You probably don't have this lighting but have you very bright bulbs? When we got rid of the light they went away. Maybe a coincidence but worth a try.
Although that doesn't explain why they are attracted to the empty house next door.

peadar76

Norwesterner wrote: »

We have less trees than Tunisia.
Yes, Northern Saharan Tunisia.
We (despite trees growing faster than any EU country) have less tree covering than the EU average
What exactly are you suggesting to rid of a minor midgee problem in this guys house?
Sweet Jesus Christ, I despair of Ireland sometimes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_forest_area
Did you ever think bogland was the cause?
What would you do then?
Concrete over it?

I'd reckon the poster was joking about the pair of dozzers. I feel really sorry for people with no sense of humour. Cop the f*ck on