In recent years, however, scientists have examined those who midges seem to avoid to see what they have that the rest of us do not. We share the dates of midge season in Scotland, the best time to visit to avoid midges and how to keep midges away when sitting outside. We've used it in Asia, Africa, Caribbean islands, Central America -- and now it'll go with us to Scotland. Other members of this family are known as ‘no see ums’ in North America, and have been implicated as vectors for the spread of disease-causing pathogens in the tropics and elsewhere in the world.

They also cause problems for outdoors industries in Scotland, reducing productivity and menacing those who make their living working outside.In fact, when Scotland had a particularly cold and severe winter in 2010, scientists found that the following summer was actually a bumper year for midges. Bad news for some, but good news, perhaps, for those who enjoy spending time in nature undisturbed by tourist hoards. Sometimes due to weather, technical or other unforeseen circumstances the ferry serving the Isle of Arran may not run for a day or more.

The answer depends in part on whether we are looking at the big picture, at the problem of midges in Scotland as a whole, or at the micro-level – how to get rid of midges (at least temporarily) on a small scale. Some people can spend time around midges and get few bites, or none at all, while other people can be covered the second they step outside. 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. Specimens of this genus related to species alive today have been found preserved in 120 million year old amber in Lebanon, and in Scotland, in amber that dates back 75 million years. A level three, and midges can be bad enough that it is a good idea to take measures to ‘make yourself repellent’ or cover-up, at a level four ‘That’s not mist, that’s midges!

Once they’ve found a tasty bit, they can feed for a few minutes at a time, although, we’re often unaware until after they’ve finished and flown away. Note that all items reviewed on this page are the opinion of Holiday Scottish Highlands and Islands and your experience may be different.

For cases where the product does not meet your requirements but is not faulty or damaged, items must be in immaculate condition with original tags and packaging intact. 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). There are often two peaks in emergence which are the worst months for midges in Scotland so these are the best times to avoid – one in late May/early June and the second in late July/early August. As non-DEET insect repellents seem to work fine for midges, we don’t find DEET repellents necessary. It is worth mentioning that however annoying these pesky Scottish midges can be, they are not such a serious threat to your health as ticks which can give you Lyme disease.That said if you happen on a warm still overcast day ,which will happen, they midges will quickly make thier presense known. Clothing – Cover up as much exposed skin as you can and consider wearing lighter colours of clothing. In optimal conditions, with the right type of soil, around half a million midges can hatch from just one two square metre patch of ground. I did a lot of running so used it on legs, arms and face (away from eyes and mouth when out in shorts and tshirt. I’d rumbled along over the years with a blend of making the best of it and occasionally lifting the net to compose but the process was never satisfactory.