jennydor

Ok so im looking at a house for sale next week, Ive already seen the pics and driven down to look at the area. We get to see the inside soon. So far so good except one problem... beside the house runs a small canal, complete with hovering midges as usual. The canal is directly next to the bordering hedge and there are loads and loads of midges and tiny flies which will probably double once the really warm weather hits.
So what can I do to keep them at bay, other than spray on the mossie spray and hope for the best.
Any help or advice will be appreciated, and any other coments sarcastic or otherwise are welcome too
Thanks in advance

bfg69bug

is the land sloping ? would the stream benifit from having more water put into it, to increase the flow? could you lay a big orange pipe so its only open at either end of your land? is it a stream or an irigation line? is it actually ON the land with the house? (look at markers etc) ... a few things to think about.

jennydor

Hi and thanks
it is an irrigation line but using a big pipe to allow the water to flow is food for thought, I cant remember how long or wide it is but Im definatley thinking along different lines now. Maybe covering it with boards or such if the pipe thing works out too expensive

Ta chuck

bfg69bug

hiya, if it is an irrigation line is it feeding something at the end of the land, or is it feeding your land, as it were ? if its at the end, by all means, pipe it, but if its to feed your land, pipe it but add a few "arquettas" (boxes with doors on) that you can open when u want the water.

FYI water only gets midges when it is either contaminated with washing up / bath water etc...or flows too slowly and becomes stagnant.

jennydor

If stagnant means full of green algea and dirty then yeah.. I think it was used to feed crops as the house is surrounded by fields but doesnt seem to have been drained for a while, maybe someone stopped farming with it.
Just seems to be full of rain water and stuff, and it goes on for miles too, so no chance of draining it doh! I think covering it somehow so the midges congregate somewhere else seems the best bet.
ta

Sparkle2nite

Hi Jennydor......can't advise how to get rid of them, but if you take Vitamin B1 they might not bite you! We started taking them 6 weeks before our first holiday abroad under advice from hubbys workmate and we were not bitten at all. We took them every year prior to our holidays and advised our friends (who didn't take the advice) and they were bitten and we were not. We moved to Spain last November and I have just recently tried to source them here ready for the summer. You take 1 a day and the midgies try a bit of your blood and don't like it so they go to some other unsuspecting victim and you are only left with a little mark and no big red itchy spot!

jennydor

Cool thanx
so vitamin b for everyone unless hubby gets annoying and a placebo for him haha

jennydor

Well thanks for all the advice folks, house is now crossed off the list but all advice will be kept for the next few houses we look at!
Thanks again