Everything you need to know about Scottish midges

Why do midges bite?

Only female midges bite. The blood that they get from their involuntary donors is essential for maturing their eggs when they are breeding. There are over 150 species of biting midges in the UK, each of them has its blood host preference, whether it’s a mammal or a bird.

When midges are most active?

Midge season runs between May and September with the largest activity in mid-summer. This can slightly vary depending on the weather climate each year.

Habitat of midges

Biting midges can be found mostly in Western Highlands as well as Northern Wales and Northern England. They prefer sheltered areas with damp soil, high humidity, and boggy ground or shaded areas close to water. Female midges lay eggs in boggy ground or acidic peaty soil and they tend to stay relatively close to their breeding areas. Human blood only makes a small percentage of midges diet as the majority of the blood female midges get from mammals such as cattle and deer. That’s why you can expect large numbers of midges close to the locations of these animals. Far less likely to find midges at elevations greater than 500 meters or at exposed windy locations.

Midge bites

The female midges have fine-toothed mouths that work like a saw cutting through the skin, causing you pain when bitten by them. The midge then applies saliva, which keeps the blood from coagulating and allowing them to get that blood they are craving. Our body, when we are bitten by an insect, responds by releasing histamine at the bite area, resulting in the characteristic itching and swelling of the bite. Depending on our immune response, some of us will only have a red itchy mark whereas others will get big red swollen itchy lumps in the bite area.

How to avoid being bitten by midges?

• Use midge nets and the right clothing

You can buy a midge net that is a hat with a net attached. It will protect your head and neck from biting midges. Wear long-sleeve shirts and tuck your trousers into your socks leaving no areas of skin exposed for midges to get to. You can also consider wearing gloves.

• Use midge repellent

There are several types of midge repellents you can buy with different efficiency properties:

DEET repellent – is the most common active ingredient in insect repellents. It is a slightly yellow oil intended to be applied to the skin or to clothing and provides protection against mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, chiggers, leeches, and many biting insects. While repellents containing DEET don’t pose much of a threat to human health or the environment, some people may get an allergic reaction using this product.

Smidge repellent – widely available, developed, and tested in Scotland Smidge repellent doesn’t contain DEET and is using an active ingredient that’s designed to effectively block the antennal receptors of biting insects making midges less interested in your scent.

Citronella oil – an essential oil obtained from the leaves and stems of different species of lemongrass and is used extensively as a source of perfumery chemicals, but also works effectively as a midge repellent.

Avon Skin So Soft – it’s a skincare product containing natural oils that seems to deter midges due to its fragrant smell.

Midge candle – these candles release a strong scent when burned and are a natural way to keep midges away.

Midge Trap – a midge trap works by releasing carbon dioxide, heat, and moisture to mimic a mammal and they are irresistibly drawn to it. Once the midge is in the vicinity it gets sucked into a container trap by a strong fan that stops them from escaping. These traps can protect a large area, but it may take a few days before they become really effective.

• Visiting between late September and late April

Why not to go outdoors between fall and spring? It’s absolutely beautiful this time of the year and it’s also less crowded.

• Check weather forecast

You can be sure midges will be out if the weather is mild and damp, but you should be safe if the weather is hot and dry. Also, midges can’t stand wind so windy weather is in your favor.

• Avoid early morning or evening

While midges will bite any time of the day, they are most active in the early morning and in the evening. Where possible, plan your time outdoors midday when the sun is in the sky.

• Check the Midge Forecast

When planning a trip to midge hotspot locations, it’s a good idea to check the midge forecast first. This is where you can learn how severe midges are likely to be on a given day in a particular location. This forecast is created using data collected from biting midge traps as well as weather stations across the country.

• Plan a day out high in the mountains

Midges are rarely seen in altitudes above 500 meters so you can plan your hiking route avoiding lower grounds. And as long as you’re not exposed stationary for a prolonged time at low altitude, you should be safe.

• Visit East Highlands when the weather is in midges favor

Why not visit East Highlands instead of the west where midges are less common? On warm and moist summer days when midges are out and about avoid midge hotspot areas.

Is there anything good from midges at all?

Midges play their role in the ecosystem by being a large part of the diet of a wide variety of living beings like spiders, bats, and birds. Also, the larvae of the non-biting midge feed on bacteria and algae while filtering microorganisms out of the water. They are diet to a variety of organisms such as dragonfly larvae, fish, and water beetles. Also while Scotland’s tourism and economy suffer greatly because of the midges, they also help to keep Scotland’s wildest parts the way they are – beautifully wild and not overpopulated.

Interesting facts about midges

• Midge wings are the fastest beating wings in the world with 1000 times per second.
• When midges die in a large amount of numbers, they create a fishy smell.
• Midges don’t carry diseases fatal to humans, but they do carry some major livestock pathogens like the blue tongue virus, which kills sheep.
• Scottish tourist industry suffers around £268 million loss each year because of midge season.
• Extremely cold winters have little to no effect on midge numbers following season.
• Some people are more attractive to midges than others due to a combination of body odor, temperature, etc.
• Midge name in Gaelic means “tiny fly”.
• A swarm of Midges can inflict around 3,000 bites in an hour.
• Around 40,000 midges can land on an unprotected arm in an hour.
• Roughly 20 percent of forestry working days are lost because of midges in Scotland every year.
• There is an island called Midge Hill (492m) in South Lanarkshire.
• in 1872 Queen Victoria fled a highland picnic after being attacked by midges.
• There are gruesome tales from Scotland’s past of people being left tied to a stake in a midge field as a form of torture.