Seasonal population fluctuations of Culicoides midges in the Smolenskaya, Pskovskaya and Vladimirskaya provinces of Western Russia in 2013.

Light trapping for biting midges was performed on cattle farms in 3 provinces of Western Russia in 2013. A total of 9,272, 2,457, and 10,245 Culicoides midges were collected from farms in Smolenskaya, Pskovskaya, and Vladimirskaya provinces, respectively. More than 99% of collected midges belonged to either the Obsoletus or Pulicaris complexes. Species belonging to the Obsoletus complex were the most abundant in Pskovskaya, whereas species from the Pulicaris complex dominated the catches in Vladimirskaya and Smolenskaya provinces. The seasonal duration of adult activity in all 3 regions was approximately 4.5 months.