They prefer coastal areas, and you can manage them by draining still water deposits or adding oil and soap to kill their eggs in puddles. Their microscopic red larvae are called bloodworms. This is because biting midges are smaller than mosquitoes but are more likely to trigger allergic reactions. Like mosquitoes, male biting midges eat nectar while females bite us for blood. Both biting and non-biting midges resemble mosquitoes, but the ‘blind’ ones feed on waste from sewers, septic tanks, and fertilizers. They’re called biting midges to distinguish them from their non-biting cousins, better known as blind mosquitoes. So when we think of bugs that bite at night besides bedbugs, we’re focused on biting midge species in particular. A few examples of midges include no-see-ums, sand flies, and moose flies. But scientifically speaking, these two are generic names for hundreds of bug species. The word ‘midge’ is like the word ‘fly’ because when you hear it, a specific bug pops into your mind. Use bug screens, bug zappers, and mosquito nets to protect your bed. Avoid getting bitten by draining and spraying any stagnant water sources where mosquitoes lay eggs. But even if it was a benign mosquito, the bite is still annoying and it can still hurt. If the mosquito that bit you was a disease-bearing species, you may develop a fever and will need to see a doctor.

A non-infectious bite leaves an itchy red swelling that shrinks into a blister when you scratch it. They hide during the day since they’re easily dehydrated in daylight. But the ones that suck human blood find it easier and safer to attack us at night, using carbon dioxide and body heat to track us. This is because female mosquitoes need blood to lay eggs while male mosquitoes mostly feed on nectar and other plant juices.Īlso, not all mosquitoes hunt at night. But did you know more than 3,000 mosquito species exist? Not all of them carry the pathogens that cause diseases, but all their females bite. You probably know mosquitoes spread potentially fatal diseases like malaria, dengue, and zika.

Getting bit in bed