Whether you are a visitor to Scotland or just on a domestic holiday, the midge can be the one thing standing in the way of a good time. Scotland has some beautiful scenery, here to be enjoyed by all.

Each year thousands of visitors to Scotland, adults and children take on the might of the Scottish midge. The lakes, lochs and walks all around Scotland, particularly on the west coast, are particularly favourite homes for midges.

These tiny six-legged creatures descend on the unsuspecting in clouds, turning a country walk or picnic into a nightmare and can totally ruin a summer break. In a recent survey, 49% of tourists said that midges would put them off visiting Scotland again at the same time of year. And, as well as their nuisance value, they can disrupt many important commercial activities such as forestry.

The best protection against these little biters is insect repellent. There are of course several types available, however the use of natural based repellents, particularly neem based repellents, is becoming more common as most natural repellents do not contain the chemical; DEET.

Visitors to Scotland are the favourite prey of Ms Midge (only the female bites, requiring a bloodmeal to mature her eggs). Campsites, hotels, pubs and bothies frequently resound with stories of woe. For example:

three visitors who were  trapped inside their holiday cottage for two whole days unable to escape because of the midges;

one camper who fled a campsite pursued by a cloud of midges and didn't stop for 2 hours;

True Stories! (continued)

a group of intrepid tourists who were far too rugged and used to tropical mosquitoes to bother about tiny little insects - that is until they met the midges - 10 minutes later they were forced to leave the campsite in search of a B & B; 

a group of French campers who, being unaware of the highland midge, spent the whole night with a cigarette lighter killing their tent invaders;

a forewarned French visitor who, before leaving home, was warned, 'if you kill one midge, a hundred come to the funeral'

Highlanders themselves don’t escape from the midges either:

one chap went to the extremes to avoid being bitten – by living on a tiny island in the outer reaches of the outer isles where there is nothing but rocks and wind - too harsh even for the midges;

another recounts tales of childhood in Skye being descended upon by a cloud of midges so black she couldn't see her hands in front of her face!

Not everyone, however, is bothered by Scottish midges and certainly, we don’t all react in the same way. For example:

of two Glaswegian brothers, one is never bothered by midges, whilst the other is eaten alive - absolutely everywhere;

one Dutch visitor makes sure that she always travels with her friend who acts as 'midge bait', ensuring her a bite-free holiday;

one lady has even discovered the perfect natural midge repellent; normally a midge magnet, she is untouched by midges when pregnant!