Can Insecticides Ever Be Used for Midge Control?
Some shore-side communities can be plagued by massive swarms of adult midges. Sometimes called “blind mosquitoes” or “chizzywinks,” midges are nonbiting insects in the fly family Chironomidae that breed in natural and constructed bodies of water (such as retention ponds). The worm-like larvae of midges live in lakes, streams, ponds, drainage ditches, brackish water, and even in polluted wastewater. The April 20, 2008 issue of Techletter presented a menu of control options for midges (light management, screens and buffers, decoy lights, traps, and ecosystem management), but the article just lightly touched on chemical control, which we discuss here.
