JIMBOOMBA residents beware.
If, like me, you like to get up at the crack of dawn to get things done around the yard, a minuscule menace is making your life hell.
Like something from the Old Testament, they descend in a cloud on any part of your body not covered by clothes or drenched in tropical-strength insect repellent.
The midges are back.
Bravely, or perhaps foolishly I have tried to persevere with my morning routine.
Clad in long pants and sleeves I traipse through the long grass to catch my horse and begin a training session.
Only minutes in, I glance up and see an army of small black dots perched along the white brim of my hat.
Then comes the horrible realisation.
They're on my face.
I'm bitten several times and swallow five of them before I give up on teaching a horse as distracted as I am.
The blood-thirsty little suckers are having a field day on the both of us.
Now I'm scared to leave the house and projects sit half-finished in the hazy morning light.
I can't stop scratching day or night. The bites are a constant reminder of what awaits me outside.
Midges thrive in humid conditions with moist, sandy soil.
They are most active at dawn and dusk and cannot withstand a strong breeze.
Logan City Council suggests using organic or natural insecticides around the house such as pyrethrum.
To protect yourself, the council suggests you try to wear long sleeves, long pants, light coloured and loose fitting cloting around dusk and in high midge populations, replace your outdoor lights with yellow bug lights and reduce vegetation around the house.
Mosquito coils or plug in insecticide burners may be necessary during periods of severe midge nuisance.
Medical treatment should be sought if you or your family are experiencing discomfort as a result of midge bite.
