Biting Midges or No-See-Ums

I haven't been bothered by mosquitos around my home. However last evening, after the heat wave broke, it being the first time I could sit outside, I could feel my bare ankles being bitten. I remembered these must be the annoying biting midges commonly called no-see-ums. The latter name is because of the fact that these insects are nearly invisible to the human eye. I wondered what these tiny insects really looked like and I will share that view with you:

 

 

                                (here the female is seen engorged with blood)

Scientists call these creatures (Culicoides spp. (Insecta: Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).Only the females bite us as blood is needed to allow egg production. Below is a graphic representation of the size of these insects compared with common objects. Annoying little buggers for sure!