Control: Avon Bog Myrtle Citronella Colour DEET MidgeEater MidgeIT Neem Netting Ultrasonic

Midge Control

If you're planning to visit Scotland - especially the Highlands - for a holiday during the main season then you may well be troubled by the biting midges. is there anything you can do to protect yourself from these annoying wee beasties and their bites?

Attempts to control the Scottish biting midge have usually taken into one of two basic approaches: repel or attract.

Repel

Most of the traditional methods of midge control consist of repulsion. Something is used to either drive midges from an area or simply to persuade them not to bite your skin.

One of the oldest ways of driving away midges is with smoke. A smokey fire was used in earliest times, then later the smoking of a pipe was recommended. It seems that the smoke interferes with the midges' sensory apparatus. They try to avoid the smoke and, even if they come near humans, don't locate us. This is possibly connected with their use of carbon dioxide emmissions to locate a host.

Many different midge repellent creams have been used over the years, everything from ancient herbal remedies to modern chemicals. Citronella, a type of lemongrass, has been especially popular over the years and more recently some people swear by Avon So-Soft. Garlic also has a reputation for driving away various pests including midges - though obviously it can drive away people too!

Today there are a wide range of chemical midge repellents on the market. Most of those you can buy are based around di-methyl phthalate (DMP) and/or di-ethyl toluamide (DEET). For those who prefer something natural, Neem based oils and creams are available.

Another approach to repelling midges is to use ultrasonics. These devices drive away various pests including, it is claimed, midges. You can buy ultrasonic units designed to cover an entire area or smaller ones that can be worn on the wrist.

Attract

The "attract" strategy of midge control is relatively new. High tech devices such as the Midge Magnet and MidgeEater emit carbon dioxide - often with other added bait - to mimic human breath. This attracts the female midges in the area who are then sucked in and killed. In an area that suffers from midges, one of these devices can destroy many bagfuls of the pesky biters.

As of yet there is no guaranteed defence against the biting midge. Whatever else you do, if you are venturing into midge country then you might want to consider taking some after bite ointment with you.