I regularly used to train up on the West coast - one day while patrolling at dusk we got engulfed by a solid cloud of the buggers - only our faces were exposed as we were wearing gloves and hats, but all four if us dropped our weapons to cover our faces and ran away screaming. If you were ever a soldier you'll know you never dropped your weapon - when the swarm had passed we had to go back and retrieve them in mutual embarrassment, and we agreed never to mention this sorry incident. My face wasn't too bad - but my jacket rucked up at the back as I was running hunched over and I had a solid red welt across my back that was agony for days.
I've been eaten alive by mosquitoes, had malaria and all sorts of other shit, but you can keep your midges.
(, Fri 21 Aug 2020, 13:23, Reply)