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The clumps of midge eggs either attach to the surface mats or in-lagoon fixed media, or sink to the bottom of the lagoon, where the hatchling red worms feed on bottom sludge and bacterial floc. If the lagoon is not optimally maintained, so much the better: the overgrowth of plants and vegetation interferes with the wind and wave action across the surface of the water that could disrupt them. Midge flies like to lay their eggs in quiet waters, so a floating algae or scum mat at the edge of an insufficiently mixed or circulated lagoon is perfect.

Facultative lagoons, especially ones that are in poor condition, are heaven to midge flies and can cause them to reproduce to bothersome levels. Why are they here?Ī wastewater lagoon is similar in many ways to a natural aquatic environment and, hence, is attractive to red worms and midge flies. Midge fly larvae can also end up in the water supply, as some residents of Texas learned last summer, when tiny red worms emerged from faucets and sprinkler heads. While midge flies don’t transmit disease, they can cause an allergic reaction, especially in sewage workers. A wastewater lagoon breeding midge flies near a residential area is going to have unhappy neighbors. They create a nuisance by congregating around light fixtures and screens, flying into mouths and noses and eyes and ears, staining the surfaces they land on, and driving people indoors. A red worm, all grown up.Īlthough they don’t bite like mosquitoes, midge flies swarm, in masses of tens of thousands per square meter. No matter what you call them, they’re a nuisance. According to Wikipedia, they have a number of regional nicknames, too: In Canada, they’re called lake flies near Green Bay, Wisconsin, they’re called bay flies around the Great Lakes, they’re called muffleheads or muckleheads and in Florida, chizzywinks. Midge flies or chironomids are also called “blind mosquitoes” because they resemble mosquitoes but don’t bite. Red worms, also known as bloodworms, are the larvae of midge flies. Since we’re always interested in lagoon conditions and how they contribute to effluent quality, we decided to take a closer look at these creatures and examine why they appear, what they mean, and how to get rid of them. Last week, an operator in Georgia showed us a video of lagoon sludge swarming with tiny, wriggling red worms (see video below). We’re often in the field, visiting wastewater lagoon facilities and learning about the challenges operators face.