That's still #tapsAff #weather in #Scotland in middle of NOVEMBER...
There's still #midges around!
#EndTheMidgies stop them taking over the world! Nobody is ready for them! Not even #mosquitos the #midge are smaller and that makes them Begbie from #trainspotting Absolute nutters. They'll just use the mosquitos as muscle! Soon you'll see a mafia like speak easy on every street, serving human blood cocktails. Dancing mosquitoes! GAAAAAAAAAAH!
This has the potential to be the most Scottish movie that ever Scottished
@happydisciple Ah, be thankful – in August in Scotland, the sky may not be clear, but it does come with added protein.
https://globalnews.ca/news/10694129/oropouche-fever-sloths-insects-canadian-travel/ “An insect-transmitted virus.. is spreading at an “unprecedented” rate, with health officials warning that it is emerging in parts of the world, including Europe, where it has never been detected.
#Oropouche fever, a potentially fatal #zoonotic disease, is transmitted by tiny flies called #midges and #mosquitoes.. There is currently no vaccine for the virus, which is part of the same family of diseases as #Zika and #dengue fever.”
#Outbreak of #Oropouche virus in #Brazil should be a ‘wake-up call’, say experts https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/aug/02/outbreak-of-oropouche-virus-in-brazil-should-be-a-wake-up-call-say-experts
The deaths of two young women, #miscarriages and #birth defects in Brazil have been linked to Oropouche virus, a little-known disease spread by #midges and #mosquitoes.
Best dressed waller in England? It's the only way I'll get owt done today. #midges
Banana stop time. What a cracking day! (wind keeping most of the #midges at bay)
Not all Scotland's midges are this big. As Summer approaches, here's what you need to know about the smaller ones: https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usfeatures/midges/index.html
Not a mosquito but a Cecidomyiinae, likely of the genus Lasioptera sp: a kind of gall midget or gall gnat.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/81412856
From a lucky shot in focus back in 2021. Thanks to the #iNaturalist community for the ID. With Cecidomyiidae being a family likely more speciose than even beetles [1], the chances of identifying this animal are slim.
[1] Hebert et al. 2016 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rstb.2015.0333
Is it too much to hope that Scottish midges take a liking to mosquito blood?
Delta Green Ground #Beetle, a Predator of the Pools
https://baynature.org/2024/03/21/a-rare-closeup-on-the-delta-green-ground-beetle-a-predator-of-the-pools/
"A vernal pool is a place of spring hustle, because the pools fill with rain in the winter and dry up in the summer. The quarter-inch-long #DeltaGreenGroundBeetle is thought to emerge from the ground in late winter, and scuttles along the margins of Jepson’s pools in spring, hunting for prey—#springtails, mostly, and #midges and other larvae. It is still a bit of a mystery, even to experts."
Nematoceran fly —aka mosquito or midge-like— sipping nectar, its head and paintbrush antennae (the size alone labels it as male: their purpose is to locate females) bobbing up and down as if listening to heavy metal. Wish I recorded a video.
Faintest idea what species this is, I have not.
We're leaving #Scotland today after a short stop in #fringe-ing #Edinburgh!
We've loved it, apart from 3 pests:
- #midges. A known one, but see photo below....
- #ticks. We learned that they are super common, carrying pathogens less often than on the continent, but still it's annoying to have to scan for and remove a dozen of tiny ones after some short walk even on a path.
- #cars on main roads when #cycling.
#walk & #cycle #Scottish #highlands
1/2
Mystery midget: #iNaturalist auto-suggestion didn’t even guess the insect order correctly. Holds itself like a mosquito, but only measures about 2.5 mm. Found on a pebble beach by a white pine tree secondary forest.
Morning walk through bracken way over my head height and soaking wet grasses to get to this. The forestry track and half way home . #lochaber #midges #highlands #saveourplanet
I love living in Scotland. It is a wonderful place in many, many ways, but today I had a reminder that there is always a price to pay.
I give you... the Monday Morning Midges.
Not all Scotland's midges are this big. As Summer approaches, here's what you need to know about the smaller ones: https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usfeatures/midges/index.html
A little #ArthroBeauty for #FlyFriday! At this time of year down by the water, the air is filled with swarms of non-biting midges (family Chironomidae), often flying around while mated. In this picture the one on the left is male; his fluffy antennae help him pick up females' pheromones.
