Usually the midge is called the humpback mosquito. It has a body length of up to six mm. Unlike a real mosquito, it has shorter legs and a proboscis. In addition, the wings of an insect at rest fold one on top of the other. Antennae have eleven segments.
Who is a midge?
To understand what kind of animal a midge is and how long it lives, it is worth getting to know its life in a little more detail. As it has already become clear, the midge is the closest relative of the mosquito. Accordingly, their living conditions are similar. It is important for the midge to have a nearby reservoir, because it is there that the larvae will develop. These insects feel great in water and it is there that they lay their eggs. Midges cling to stones or stems of aquatic plants and quite naturally descend under the water, arranging there a kind of incubators. Since the female midges hatch the larvae not individually, but in large groups, rather large colonies are formed. On an area of one square centimeter, there can be up to two hundred larvae. These insects have an amazing feature: they reproduce throughout their lives.
Nutrition takes a special place in the life of midges. It is clear that their favorite food is the blood of warm-blooded people. This is not surprising, since their proboscis is perfectly suited for piercing the skin. But this is only at first glance. Some species of gnats feed exclusively on flower nectar.
Some species of midges, for example, the Columbac midge, have become a real disaster for livestock breeders in the Danube regions. The fact is that pupation of the larvae of this midge ends in May - and then hordes of insects attack all living things in the area.
In relation to the Columbac midge, life expectancy has been determined very precisely. Immediately after fertilization, the male dies, and the females, having become brutal, attack livestock and people in huge swarms.
Midge bites pose a fairly significant danger to humans and animals. One or two bites are not a threat, but when they are in the hundreds, there is a serious health hazard. The liquid injected by the midge for the first time anesthetizes the site of the bite. But it is very poisonous: after a minute, edema already develops there, severe itching begins to torment.
How long does she live?
By human standards, the midge dies very quickly. According to scientific data, her entire life span is ninety-six hours. During these four days, she must have time to find food, find a couple, lay eggs and only then fade away. Thus, the purpose of the whole life of the midge is the bite of a warm-blooded one, which allows taking care of future larvae.
For some reason, human blood of the third group is especially attractive to midges. It is its owners that are most often attacked by midges.
