They’re Just Gnasty!

For many years, I planned to retire somewhere along the Gulf Coast, most likely in FL. I’d have my double-wide park model in an adult community, walk on the beach each morning at sunrise, and enjoy the humid life. Then my company transferred me to Tucson, AZ, where in the Sonoran Desert, it’s a dry heat. I like dry heat. Even though I didn’t mind the rivers of sweat cascading off me in the tropical climes, I prefer the moisture being whisked away here.

The only real drawback to living in the tropics is biting insects like moist air. To supplement egg production, the females snack on humans to round out their nutritional needs. You can’t get enough protein out of plant sap. In the desert, there are very few mosquitoes, sand flies, etc.  However, there are gnats. 

Gnasty Weather

With the arrival of the monsoon rains come the less-welcome gnats. You can hear the mosquitoes with their Doppler shift whine, but the gnats are suddenly there, swarming, swirling, biting, and all-around annoying.

Gnats or no-see-ums are midges: small dark flies, barely visible. The local midges belong to the genus Culicoides. They are described as having a shiny thorax. How nice, I like my tormentors to look their best. (Is there a sarcasm font?).

Have you ever noticed you are never attacked by one midge like mosquitoes do, but always attack in a pack? Believe it or not, the collective noun is a bite of midges. How appropriate! Where do they hang out while waiting for a tasty human to walk by? Males tend to stay in their natal ground, but females can disperse about a mile away. The closer you are to the area of emergence, the higher the number of bites you’ll receive.

Despite their small size, midges can carry disease pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. Their bites can induce an allergic reaction in horses called “sweet itch.”

Fortunately, there are predators of these insects: Yuma Myotis bat (Myotis yumanensis) and desert whitetail dragonfly (Plathemis subornata). I am comforted to know animals are gobbling up my attackers. Even so, I understand that the midges and I are part of the environment. I provide a bit of protein, and then they feed my bats. It’s all good.

Find more of my tales about life in the Sonoran Desert with my many funny and educational picture books on the subject.