Midges in Scotland – Protect yourself from Highland menace!

Here is essential advice on where and how to avoid midges in Scotland. Will they spoil your enjoyment of the Scottish Highlands? Yes, they can be a serious nuisance – though you’d have to be bitten by 20 million midges simultaneously for their bites to be fatal!

Are Scottish midges really a problem?

When it comes to midges in Scotland, let’s not beat about the bush. Especially as, if you beat about bushes in the Highlands in the summer, you’re liable to disturb clouds of midges.

But are these little beasties that much of a problem? Will they spoil your trip?

I’ve travelled around Scotland for, oh, years and years, and my answer is: possibly a little – but it all depends where you go. If you travel in the Lowlands then midges in Scotland won’t be much of an issue.

If you’re in the Highlands and the wind-speed is more than 5mph (8km/ph), then the same applies.

As an individual midge weighs about 1/8000gm it can’t take off in higher wind speeds – even by beating its wings at 1000 times per second – the highest wing-beat speed in the animal kingdom.

(Hey, stick around, we’ll get to the practical midge avoidance techniques in a minute.)

No-see-ums…

A quick pronunciation hint: the Scots pronounce the insect as ‘mi-jee’, emphasising the first syllable. Sometimes we even spell them ‘midgies’.

Sometimes midges or midgies are called gnats, though the US English ‘no-see-ums’ is much more colourful and also accurate. Make no mistake, when the conditions are right, these wee beasties can be a bit of an irritation.

In any case, midges aside, think of the other advantages of Scotland. It’s cool weather-wise, friendly local-wise and, in short, a great destination…so take a look at flight prices with a company with a great reputation for nailing down the best deals…

Mosquitoes And/Or Midges in Scotland?

Sometimes, people confuse the names mosquitoes and midges, especially if Scottish is not their first language. Mosquitoes are much much bigger than midges.

Yes, from time to time it seems you do get some mosquitoes in Scotland – that’s an Amazon link if they concern you. NB – there are other Amazon commission-earning links below.

In any case, mosquitoes may become more prevalent as global warming increases its impact on Scotland’s environment.

At the moment, mosquitoes are less of an issue – and you certainly won’t encounter any malaria-carrying species.  

I think you’ll be much more preoccupied trying to keep yourself midge-free of a Highland evening…and come to think of it, I didn’t see a single mosquito all summer up by the Moray Firth anyway – at least down by the coast.

Get Some Midge Protection!

But – especially if you heading to the Highlands – you are going to need buy some protection. We find Smidge plus our trusty Tilley hats very effective – and for really midgie days – an anti-insect head net is recommended!

Though we tend to be Smidge people, there are those who swear by Avon Skin So Soft Original Spray to ward off both both midges and mosquitoes. These include roughy-toughy military types.

You could also, I suppose, make your own hat using midge mesh (no, really) though it is more often used for doors and windows.

Tests have proved that only a mesh with a minimum of 600 holes per square inch (30×20) will stop a determined midge. Note these figures are for imperial or US measurement midges. Metric midges will be different.

Actually, instead of making your own anti-midge hat, you should take a look at this wide-brimmed sun hat – fraction of the cost of a Tilley! Just combine it with the midge-hood as mentioned above (and below) and you’ve got pretty effective coverage.

Right, now that I have you kitted out, let’s look at some other factors affecting midge concentrations.

Midges in Scotland can be thwarted by the right gear!
Midge protection necessary in Knoydart

Wind speed as a factor affecting midges was mentioned above.

According to some comments on forums that discuss this question, portable battery fans have a role to play in your anti-midge armoury. 

This would be worth a try, say, placed on the table if having a meal or drink outside.

You may have to weigh down your salad leaves with extra dressing though.

Midges – a Scottish Highland problem?

Now, some biology. Species of midge that have a taste for us belong to the genus Culicoides.

This is a world-wide genus, and the tropical species are even worse. (Don’t ask.)

There are more than 30 Culicoides species of midges in Scotland. The biting species vary with habitat. The species C. impunctatus is the one you usually encounter in the Highlands.

Midges in Scotland - a still evening in Wester Ross
Scottish midges on my hat – a still evening in Wester Ross.

(Pictured here) Midges landing on my hat in quite big numbers, near Shieldaig, Wester Ross.

Still evening in high summer – conditions just right.

You meet this species of midge in the Highlands because it lays its eggs in wet soil.

So anywhere with a good growth of plant species such as sphagnum moss, various rushes or damp-loving grasses will be a potential midge breeding ground.

That type of habitat includes much of the high-rainfall Highlands with their acid boggy ground.

Bad midge news in summary?

A patch of ground about 6ft x 6ft, ie around 2 metre square, could hatch about half a million of them in a season. That adds up to a Scottish midge population estimated at 180,750 trillion.

But wait…there’s good news too.

Only Half The Scottish Midge Population Bites!

Yes, the good news. Only half the Highland midge population actually bites. The other half is male and feeds on flowers. (Everybody say ‘ahwww’.)

Basically, the female reaches the adult state with enough reserves to lay one batch of eggs. (That’ll be a brood of up to 200. Hmm.)

After that, if she comes over all broody again (and she will) then she needs a blood meal. She needs the protein in the blood to develop the yolk in her eggs.

And that’s quite enough detail. Except to say that only about 10% of the females actually get a drink in their little lives.

I can’t say I’m sorry about that. That means that 90% of Highland female midges in Scotland just hover around muttering to one another ‘Don’t know about you, but I could murder a forearm…

On the way up Stac Pollaidh
A fine day in the north-west Highlands. They walkers have just got high enough to catch the breeze and avoid midges in Scotland. (Actually, on Stac Pollaidh.)

(Pictured here) On the way up Stac Pollaidh / Polly. A fine day in the north-west Highlands, with Suilven on the left and Cul Mor on the right.

These are the names of the mountains in the background, by the way, not the women in the foreground.

By the way, here’s an east-coast recommended tour that should AVOID midges – it’ll be bright and breezy with next to no midge habitat. Trust me. See below…

How To Avoid Being A Scottish Midge Meal

There is a wealth of advice available on how to avoid being bitten by midges in Scotland, much of it lovingly distilled down and appearing on this page (which has all you need to know).

Midges like to fly, and hence bite, near the ground and seldom attack more than 10ft (3m) above it. So, you could learn to stilt walk. (See? I told you we’d be practical.)

Alternatively, if considering hiring a car or driving in Scotland, make sure it has a roof. Open-topped posing not advised. Doors closed and windows up is a good – if obvious – way of avoiding midge molestation if parked up on a still evening to enjoy the view. And on that topic….

Here’s a link to a company who checks all the car rental prices in the UK – so you can get the best deal. (And we get a small commission.)

Keep Off Midges in Scotland – Wear Light-Coloured Clothing

Midges are attracted to dark clothing, so wear light colours and cover up. I like to think that some kind of Casper the Friendly Ghost outfit, plus the stilts, might make you practically invulnerable, though a little conspicuous if travelling in a group.

Midge weather - calm evening on Deeside
Midges in Scotland love still, warm evenings after rain – as here in the valley of the River Dee, near Banchory, Aberdeenshire. The June evening when I took this picture, I was being eaten alive by the wee beasties. But you’d never know from the pic, would you?
Hold Your Breath And Midges Might Miss You!

On the subject of what to wear; because midges have very shallow biting jaws, attacks are confined to bare skin.

They don’t bite through cloth: not even those really cheap t-shirts you got from Tesco.

They home in on their prey by detecting the higher than normal levels of the carbon dioxide that we exhale.

It is, however, unlikely you’ll be able to hold your breath for the entire length of your Scottish visit unless your travel agent has really messed with the schedule.

Studies have also shown that midges that feed on humans aren’t really that fussy. They are equally happy to feed from cattle, deer, sheep, dogs, cats, rabbits or mice.

You could choose one of these as a decoy species and let it accompany you on your Highland travels.

I’d go for something portable, though if you choose a mouse, remember that, to something that size, being bitten by a midge would be, for us, similar to being attacked by, say, a small but homicidal sparrow.

Midges are also especially active in low light and in still conditions.

Highland hoteliers rely on this to keep guests in the bar when they might otherwise be taking a romantic walk to watch the sunset. Midges, therefore, are an important element in the Highland economy.

The Scottish Weather And Midges

Midges in Scotland do not like it hot and dry. If your visit coincides with a heatwave then you’ll be fine. OK, it’s not a very high statistical probability (though hereabouts we are still talking about June/July 2018).

On the other hand, the beasties like it warm and wet. 

If weather conditions are favourable, then midge eggs hatch early in summer, with a second wave end July and into August.

The even worse news is that sometimes there is a third wave in late summer or early autumn. (That explains why, for example, we were so badly bitten at Glenfinnan in October one year.)

As ever, climate change is making this third wave even more likely. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news…

Midges and wind turbines
To help solve the biting insect problem, we Scots have installed giant midge-swatters all over the Highlands, only afterwards finding out – d’oh – that these also kill bats that eat midges.

(Pictured here.) A giant midge-swatter installation as seen in many parts of Scotland.

A failure, as they kill the bats that feed on midges. Still, they have two advantages: they also produce clean electricity but, even more important for the Scots, they really annoyed Donald Trump.

More about getting away from midges

Loch Shiel - go cruising
Loch Shiel, looking north, from the deck of Sileas, Loch Shiel Cruises, in midge-free October sunshine.

Take to the water where it’s breezy!

Wait, here’s another idea. It’s expanded on our sailing on Loch Lomond page but it’s really simple. Take to the water – go cruising.

Here’s a view looking  Loch Shiel taken from the deck of the Loch Shiel cruise operator’s fine boat Sileas (an ex-Admiralty launch, actually). Not a midge bothered us on that lovely autumn afternoon out on the loch.

Come to think of it, the fact that it was early October may have helped a little, though I had been eaten alive while photographing the Glenfinnan Viaduct just a few days earlier, on an equally sunny day.

Control That Midge

No effective blanket spray exists for getting rid of midge on the breeding grounds. You would have to spray most of the Highlands, creating ecological havoc.

Ditto biological controls. Dragonflies, amphibians, fish and bats do their best to eat as many as possible.

So just remember that if you are a hotelier contemplating one of these midge-zapper devices all you are doing is reducing the food for the local bats.

As for repellents applied to the skin, there is a choice of sprays and creams, some using natural products.

At the moment Smidge That Midge Insect Repellent is still getting great reviews. Avon Skin So Soft is also popular. I like my midge-hood though – I wear it over my hat (as vaguely seen in a pic above.)

These also help in keeping away clegs (horse-flies). To be honest, if the midges in Scotland are bad, then clegs are worse! We had a bad experience of Scottish clegs in Knoydart. Oh, and on the road to Stronachlachar in the Trossachs.

Without being over-dramatic, here’s a wee post about my worst ever encounter with Scottish midges. No, really, it was…

And some advice on finding midge-free places in Scotland.

Of course, the other tiny terrors you have to seriously watch for are ticks in Scotland. Potentially worse than midges, for sure.

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