The Scottish Highland Midge (Mighty Midge) ~ Small and Voracious!

The Scottish Highland midge is the one thing that can make a holiday in the highlands unforgettable for the wrong reasons. It can spoil all that lovely scenery, tranquility and peace - our own little monster - the midge.

Or to give it it Sunday name - Culicoides Impunctatus.
This voracious little creature usually appears in large numbers twice a year - in May and later on in July - although there are a few around most of the summer.

If it's been a mild winter then we have a third hatching. This is because the midge spends the winter as larve living in the soil. Only the female of the species bite. (No comment, my better half will read this later!)

As you can see from the pictures it's a tiny insect with a wingspan of less than 2mm.
Must we just grin and bear it or are there options?

The Scottish Higland Midge Dance
One techniques I've seen often is to jump up and down waving your arms in the air and cursing loudly. Imagine just how good it would be set to music - I don't know if it works but it is very funny to watch. Also, midges find their victims by the smell of body odour and breath so stop sweating and breathing and there won't be a problem.

OK, seriously there are many preperations and sprays which do keep the little blighters at bay but my own preference isn't actually a midge repellent, it's a skin softener from Avon cosmetics call "Skin so Soft". It must be the pine variety or it won't work.

Make sense to me as a friend who worked in the forestry service tells me that they used to use the sap from pine trees as a deterrent.

Have a look here for the midge forecast. The default here is for Oban but once you're on the site you can enter your own locality.