The makers of Smidge repellent also offer their midge forecast service, only available in the main midge months of May to September. Data collected from weather stations and biting midge traps help build an overall picture of the midge activity. They offer a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being a midge apocalypse. Are the midges in Scotland actually a good thing?

Pregnant females will actually give off a pheromone to invite other adult midges to take part in the feast. To escape the wrath of the dreaded midges, seek out lowland regions with consistent breezes, as they are less likely to harbour these pesky insects. Coastal areas, are better than bogs, marshes and woodland. Place the cup around your home’s entryways to repel them. This is nice because you don’t have to keep replacing the station. Midges aren’t fans of altitude, primarily because of the lower temperatures and stronger winds. As such, heading above the 750m / 2,500 ft mark should keep you safe or at least keep your bite count to a less tolerable number.They can be, depending on how your body reacts to their bite. If you have serious allergic reactions, it could be dangerous. In my area of northeast Scotland, these tiny flying insects are called midgies (midgees); I guess this is yet another local difference in the pronunciation of some words. How long do midges live? We do take precautions which may have helped last year eg, one of those citronella candles, the cloth bracelet things with the anti midge stuff soaked onto it ( Towsure ) and neither the missus or the kids or me have ever had so much as a bite. Even bought one of those electric " insectocutor " machines, never used it, waste of money and taking up space in the van. Apperson, Charles; Waldvogel, Michael; Bambara, Stephen (2006). "Biology and Control of Non-biting Aquatic Midges". Department of Entomology, North Carolina Cooperative Extension. Non-biting males will sometimes emerge before the biting females. Sometimes, bivoltinism (a second generation within the midge season), and sometimes even a third generation, takes place. In this case, the generation period is recognised as around 6 weeks.

When looking at the big picture, the big question often debated is whether or not steps should be taken to eradicate the Highland biting midge from certain areas (or even from the whole of the country). A lovely smelling body butter that is hand-made in Scotland. The main ingredient is artificial Bog Myrtle which is a natural anti-midge repellent. The 40g pot is marketed as being able to last the whole season, but I found it doesn't go that far, and a good quarter of the pot can be used on one person. You will need to reapply twice in one day, so if you are a family of 5, one tin might not last a day, let alone your entire trip.Wear bright coloured clothing, visit when it's very hot or colder, wear long sleeved tops, get up high, take to the water, avoid stopping in long vegetation, try midge repellent spray. WHAT TIME OF DAY ARE MIDGES MOST ACTIVE? As many a camper knows, the mesh netting in tents is often no foil for the midge, who always somehow manage to squeeze through the minuscule gaps in the fabric and carry on feeding on our flesh well into the wee hours. To avoid this, douse your tent’s mesh panels with a repellent spray either before leaving home or as soon as you get to camp. While some may object to the idea of killing so many living creatures, midge traps of this kind have been shown to make life more bearable for many who spend time around midges in the great outdoors, and can significantly reduce midge numbers (and therefore midge bites) over smaller areas. The non-biting midge will get into your home and garden and just generally be annoying because of their huge numbers.

Ceratopogonidae, biting midges (also known as no-see-ums or punkies in North America [2] and sandflies [3] in Australia) This is one of the major brands for repelling mosquitoes, but it is also effective against midges in Scotland. It has a very pungent smell, so maybe see if you can try it before you buy. If someone is so concerned about Midges that they have to ask us Scots, 18 months ahead of their proposed trip, then I'm sorry but perhaps Scotland would be better viewed on a video. Midges do their hunting all day long, but usually ramp up feeding in the hour or so after sunrise and around sunset. Using their serrated jaws, they will make a small opening to start filling up on blood in a similar way to a mosquito bite.Midges tend to love damp, boggy areas and acidic peatlands especially. Humid sheltered areas with recent rainfall and cloud cover will be hellish places to be in midge season. Midge repellents Visiting west Scotland is still viable in the cooler months; September and May, in particular, can still have great weather conditions. East Scotland has much less of a midge problem, and even the Cairngorm National Parkis feasible in the summer months. Is there a best time of day for midges? Apply the solution directly to your bite and clean it up. This will help prevent infection and kill all the bacteria around the wound also. Apply aloe vera