Midges - Weather Related Pests

Bicycle

Hubby has just pointed out a swarm of b"^%$y Midges in our garden, hanging out beside the boiler house (in a small courtyard thats sheltered).:eek:

Change of tactic, I think we need some seriously cold weather SOON.

Rabidlamb

Slugs still working away in my back garden.
Grass still growing, bloody weird.

Tom Cruises Left Nut

I am planning to cut my grass this weekend :mad:

Min

Extreme cold is a pest, this current weather gives the possibility of early grass for the cows, once the ground dries up a bit.

irishdub14

The daffodils are already growing fast, they sprung up in mid December! :eek:

Conrach

My magnolia is budding and has been since before Christmas. The poor thing is confused.

theparish

There is a bit of frog spawn about

Irish Steve

At this stage I'd rather have a load of snow instead of hard frost, if we get frost, it will be another bad season for the rhubarb, there's a couple of early shoots showing already on the old crowns, which is way early for this area, I've also got some new ones in that were cheap in Lidl a while back, and hard frost will hit them hard, whereas some snow over it for a couple of weeks would be ideal to protect them. If it must, then cover them with snow and then get colder, but I want some protection first

Calibos

I've had bloody blue bottles flying in the front door over the last few days. Blue Bottles in January!!

adamski8

Sweet jesus, only in ireland will we complain about the most harmless of creatures!

Tom Cruises Left Nut

adamski8 wrote: »

Sweet jesus, only in ireland will we complain about the most harmless of creatures!

They are the winged bastards of the apocolypse !! :eek:

Joe Public

theparish wrote: »

There is a bit of frog spawn about

So even the frogs have given up on the winter, they have been spotted hopping around in some areas.

mw3guc

t|nt|n wrote: »

They are the winged bastards of the apocolypse !! :eek:

I couldn't agree more!!! Anyone who thinks midges are harmless has never experienced their unique brand of unrelenting torture.

Harps

Seems to be a huge difference between the north and south this winter, we've had plenty of wintry weather here and there's not a hope of any flies surviving or grass growing. Not much real cold obviously but plenty of wind, hail and sleet all through December which is exactly what I'd expect for this time of year

Wild Bill

I only wish Deep Easterly was here to see this thread!

Midges (and cordylines) - not to mention slugs, ants, weeds and various nasty fungi thrive in frost-free winters :eek:

We need a fortnight of sub-zero temps with minima of -15 (at least)

sparrowcar

Down hiking in Wicklow yesterday and got bitten by a few midge on our lunch stop. Couldn't believe it. :eek:

snow ghost

Plenty of spiders webs around too and I saw one little spider happily spinning away on a window earlier.

Wild Bill

A boards.ie snow bunny is surely the classic 'weather-related pest'

vicwatson

t|nt|n wrote: »

I am planning to cut my grass this weekend :mad:

Had the very same thought myself today, it could deffo get away with a trim.

Joe Public

vicwatson wrote: »

Had the very same thought myself today, it could deffo get away with a trim.

Don't cut it low or you'll only give more space to the moss especially coming into the winter.

Wild Bill

Joe Public wrote: »

Don't cut it low or you'll only give more space to the moss especially coming into the winter.

Hey!

I like moss

Joe Public

If the cold spell comes off I suppose the frogs will go back into hibernation, the birds will stop building their nests, flowers that are out too early will back off or just slow down. Nature will respond to weather conditions like already happening in the parts of Europe where it also had been unusually mild.
I'd love to think that nature can predict the weather but I'm still looking for real proof.

Wild Bill

Or, if we get -10c, the plants and animals that peeped too quickly will be wiped out

gbee

Bicycle wrote: »

Hubby has just pointed out a swarm of b"^%$y Midges in our garden, hanging out beside the boiler house (in a small courtyard thats sheltered).:eek:

Change of tactic, I think we need some seriously cold weather SOON.

Yes, came up in a farming program last Saturday, the Irish Livestock Herd is under threat of a few major diseases that are midge related, the last two snowy winters has lead to an unprecedented healthy level in our Herd, and they fear this mild winter and the outbreak of disease that it will inevitable bring.

gbee

t|nt|n wrote: »

They are the winged bastards of the apocolypse !! :eek:

Yes, they are.