Control Options

Vegetated Buffers

The attraction of adult midges to artificial light may result in the movement of large swarms of midge to surrounding residences, causing a nuisance to local residents. Vegetated buffers can act as a physical barrier, to screen artificial light from houses and streetlights and as a habitat for adult midge predators. The use of buffers to manage the dispersal of midges has not been widely studied, however a study is currently underway to define attributes of effective buffers in terms of height, width and composition of vegetation at Perth wetlands. In one study Vaisey 1999 investigated the importance of buffers for controlling Polypedilum nubifer, an important nuisance midge species, at wetlands on the Swan Coastal Plain. The major finding of this study were:

• Vegetated buffers at Kogolup Lake were effective in limiting the dispersal of midges.
• In non-vegetated areas large numbers of midge appeared to be carried inland by prevailing winds and peaked in abundance at 300 m from the wetland.
• Protection and revegetation of buffer zones in downwind areas of the wetlands studied should be given high priority.
• Recommendations from this study include observational studies on P. nubifer behaviour, such as distance travelled to resting sites, swarming sites, oviposition sites and the height of swarming and flight.

Recent developments in sensor and computer technologies could facilitate such observational studies. For example the use of highly sensitive night vision devices, video and infared tracking of flight paths and in-lab flight simulators. Progress in commercial software for motion tracking and image analysis together with developments in videography should enable these technologies to be useful. A review of entomological tracking techniques is given by Reynolds (2002).

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