UKC

how many midges would be needed to suck all the blood out of someone ,

or at least suck enough blood out to kill them

guess its a simple equation based upon how much each midge takes and how long it takes assuming that there’s about 4.2ltrs in the body there about

any creepy crawly experts out there can help me?

(plaigirised without the kind permission of Dave Murphy!)

In reply to Cobbler:

your welcome , lol

In reply to Cobbler: You'd die of madness before thay could drain you

In reply to Cobbler: think you would probably go insane and/or kill yourself before the last critical bite. It would also depend on the gender of the midge.

In reply to Cobbler: There is a story told, it may be an urban myth, but they used to torture people by putting them naked on the ramparts of Dunvegan Castle on Skye, they were chained such that they could not swish the midges away. Apparently many went mad, but the story does not stretch to anyone dying from this torture.

In reply to Cobbler:

UK midges? not sure.
Japanese midges? i'd run like hell if i were you.
http://kensforce.com/mothra19614.jpg

In reply to Cobbler:
When I was on Jura the other year, there was book of local ledgends.
There are loads of tales of viking and their battles. One group ambushed another group because the lookout was asleep. They got the lookout viking, stripped and tied him to a post in a bog to be eaten by midges.

In reply to Dave Murphy:

Most gracious of you Sir!

Would a midge eat about the same as a head louse?
http://www.jcu.edu.au/school/phtm/PHTM/hlice/papers/speare-blood-2005.pdf

In reply to Cobbler:
The female (had to be didn’t it) Scottish midge Culicoides impunctatus, which is responsible for up to 90% of the bites on humans. With a wingspan of about 1.4 mm., a body length of slightly less than that and a weight of about 0.5 microgram it isn’t going to suck up much blood. They feed for up to 4min if undisturbed until there abdomen is fully distended

http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/images/midge_engorged.jpg

The quantity of blood taken is estimated at 0.0003 ml, hardly anything but still over half their body weight.

So saying the same 3500ml removed from your body to kill you there would need to be a swarm of 111 666 667 female midges feeding on your for four minutes.

Say 112 million to be sure




Ref doc http://www.efsa.europa.eu/etc/medialib/efsa/science/ahaw/ahaw_opinions/ej47...

In reply to AGT:
there would need to be a swarm of 111 666 667 female midges feeding on your for four minutes.


9improbable but imagine that, oh my god, even the japs couldnt coem up with suc htorture

agrhghghh

In reply to AGT:

...in which case, how many midges are there in scotland... should be figures out there on population densities and area of inhabitation which would allow a rough estimate of total population...

which would then enable working out how many people they could suck dry...

112 million sounds a lot, but i think there were that many in my tent the last time i camped at sligachan...

gregor

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

my guess is 4 trillion mossies north of carlisle

In reply to AGT:

112 million. Hmmm came close at Forest Lodge recently!

I watched midges on my arm recently and I'd say that about
80% of those that landed on me left without biting.

In reply to Cobbler:

admirable restraint... i usually start hyperventilating and slapping all my exposed areas of skin when i see them landing


then start running around screaming *aaaarghh, not again, not agaiiiiiinnnnn.....!!!!!*

In reply to Dave Murphy:

yes, but what about the midges though....

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

lol, you shoild know by nopw im a thicko

midges it is