SOMERSET was plagued with hundreds of thousands of midges and mosquitoes in September 2012, according to a report in the County Gazette.

It was more a case of what was going buzz in the night rather than bump.

The annoying insects fluttered around hit homes across the county.

And for one couple it made their life very uncomfortable.

Bernie Perkins, then aged 61, and his wife, Suzie, 59, said in the 20 years they had lived in their Langport home, the mosquitoes had never been as bad.

The couple, who also keep bees on their land, said: “You have to keep all the windows and doors closed – it can get quite uncomfortable, especially when it gets hot outside.”

Bernie added: “My wife got so badly bitten she had to go to the doctor and be on antibiotics. Her sister needed to go to hospital for her bites.

“I only have to touch some of my hedges and a cloud of them will come out – there must be thousands of them.

“We are hoping the colder nights and colder weather will start to kill off some of them.”

But why have there been so many of the flying critters?

Mike Rigby, who was head of climate consultancy Original Carbon, said the problem was connected to the heavy rainfall during the summer and pockets of water left around homes and gardens.

He added: “They breed in standing water, not flowing, so you need to eliminate these areas – clear your gutters and pockets of water in your garden.

“If you have a water butt, try putting some vegetable oil on the surface of the water as insects don’t like this.”

Dr Caroline Gamlin, director of public health for Somerset, said: “In the countryside wear suitable footwear, and loose fitting trousers covering the ankles.

“Insects will often be most active in the early morning and late evening so keeping arms and legs covered with light, loose fitting clothing at these times will reduce the risk of bites.

"There have been no recorded cases of a person being infected with malaria as a result of receiving a mosquito bite on the Somerset Levels.”