What do midges and their larvae eat?

Cats

What do midges eat

Pups are small insects that resemble humpback mosquitoes in appearance. Their size does not exceed six millimeters, and some species may be even smaller. Before talking about what the midges eat, it is necessary to understand the features of their structure and habitat.

Characteristic features of the insect and its nutrition

Despite the fact that the flies belong to the family of small mosquitoesThey have some distinguishing features. The structure of the midge has its own individual characteristics. They are distinguished by strong short legs and a short proboscis, the structure of which allows you to easily bite through the skin. Gnaw bites painful and fraught with unpleasant consequences.

The midge female is a great diver. In order to lay eggs, it is immersed in water, clinging to algae stems or stones. Some individuals prefer to leave clutch in the coastal strip or simply drop their eggs, flying over a flowing stream.

The hatched midge larva is immediately fixed on the nutrient substrate with the rear end of its body using special hooks. Since the females lay their eggs in groups and always in running water, huge colonies consisting of larvae are formed in this place of the stream. Their number can reach up to 200 pieces per square centimeter. Periodically shrinking "fans" located near the mouth opening indicate that midge larvae begin to feed immediately from the moment they appear.

The special structure of the hairs and bristles used to trap food allows the extraction of organic residues from the water. This is the main food of the forming individual. A larva can fully eat only with a strong current in a pond. In stagnant waters, they die immediately. Adult flies emerge from the pupa in two weeks. They rise to the surface of the reservoir and fly out of the water.

Interesting! Adult midges eat only on hot sunny days. The rest of the day or in bad weather, it is not active. Mostly females feed on blood, and males prefer nectar of flowers.

That they like to eat midges

Fruit insects living in the kitchen do not particularly sort out food. It is not difficult to see what midges eat, observing their behavior. They give particular preference to such "food sets":

1. Spoiled vegetables and fruits. Fruit and onion midges can eat them all the time. They also need them for reproduction, as larvae from laid eggs develop in rot.

   

2. Home preservation. Open cans are a great bait for omnivorous insects
3. Pet food.
4. Flower midges such as sciaridesfeed on the underground parts of plants.
5. Residues of animal products containing blood.

Knowing who such midges are, what are the features of their life and nutrition, you can engage in an active struggle with insects.