During their peak population time of July-September, it can be very difficult to avoid swarms of midges ruining your stalking. Moreover, if you find yourself out in the field on a cloudy, warm day, wading through long damp undergrowth, it can be virtually impossible. Not only this, but midges are able to detect carbon dioxide from up to 200 metres away, so if you find yourself walking through the Highlands, moving from drive to drive on the first grouse shoot of the season or stalking stags, they will be able to sense your location and zoom in. Best protection against midges As with everything, there are a few negatives to this product which include not being waterproof, and I’m rather suspicious of the claimed 8 hours of protection from one covering. We prefer to use insect repellents which don’t contain DEET or DMP. Although DEET and DMP are more effective than non-DEET or natural midge repellents, they are capable of melting some plastics (such as credit cards, glasses and synthetic clothing) and that’s not really something we want to put our skin. As non-DEET insect repellents seem to work fine for midges, we don’t find DEET repellents necessary. Best midge net for Scotland Midges are insects with a wingspan of just 1-2mm. They need blood to survive and enjoy feasting on animals and humans. Midges have been around for thousands of years but with climate change, they are increasing their range and extending their season.

Midges target their victims by sensing carbon dioxide in exhaled breath and other odours associated with their targets. The good news is that those local news stories about how great Avon products are at repelling insects don’t have to be totally wrong anymore! It is only the female midge that bites. When female midges emerge they have built up enough fat reserves as a larva to lay their first batch of eggs. To mature more batches of eggs than this initial batch, the female midge needs a blood meal. Avon could have real money-makers on their hands if they opted to use DEET in their Bug Guard brand. However, some people claim that DEET is dangerous to the nervous system, though no study has found this to be true. 5 Sure, bad reactions can happen, but that’s with every product. What are your best products for repelling midges in Scotland? What’s your advice for avoiding midge bites? Please post in the comments below.Don’t worry too much about the midges in Scotland and don’t let them put you off visiting this beautiful country. Midge bites don’t irritate me as much as mosquito or cleg (horse fly) bites and as midges don’t transmit disease to humans, I’m more relaxed about midges. We generally find it’s too windy for midgies most of the time anyway! When you go out and it isn’t that windy, carry a couple of different natural insect repellents and a midge hood and hopefully, you should be fine. You’ll need at least two for any area bigger than a dining-table-sized space but they work very well and there’s something incredibly relaxing about watching a candle burn down in the evening. This product couldn’t come more highly recommended – it does the job and it is very affordable to boot. Don’t use products with strong perfumes as these can attract midges (eg. deodorant, shampoo, soap, perfume, shower gel, etc.) If you want to know when is the best time to visit Scotland to avoid midges, you need to find out when is the midge season in Scotland.

There are an estimated 181 trillion midges in Scotland and for every square metre of ground in the Highlands there could be 250,000 eggs waiting to hatch and go on the hunt for their next meal of tasty human blood. Calm, windless days and dull days are likely to be more midgey– midges stop flying in wind speeds greater than about 6mph. I’ve already mentioned that midges are most prevalent in the Highlands but if you really don’t want to be bothered by them you should spend time outdoors only when the wind is above 7 mph when they’re unable to fly, so high elevations and the coastline are certainly areas to head to. Citronella, peppermint, lavender and eucalyptus essential oils can be used as natural midge repellents. Citronella candles can be used to keep midges away when sitting outside or can be used to deter midges from the house. BBQ smoke is another effective deterrent. The Bug Guard works the best, which is unsurprising, considering it’s manufactured for the sole purpose of repelling insects.

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The best defence is a strong offence, in this case, and we suggest you begin by keeping your windows closed, particularly at dawn and dusk. Although strong sunlight perturbs them, they find artificial lighting attractive. Leaving a living room light on with a window ajar is an open invitation to a midge, so keep everything closed tightly. If you’re planning on eating outside, smoke from the BBQ is a popular repellent to Scottish midges. Buy some citronella candles and coils to create a wider no-midge zone too. If you’re ahead of the game and already have some Avon products, then great! All you need to do is keep applying it like you are already, keeping your skin safe while free from itches. If you don’t have any Avon, their products are relatively cheap and easy to find, so what are you waiting for? Get going and keep those pesky mosquitoes away!

Wearing light-coloured clothing may attract fewer midges as, like goths, midges seem to prefer dark colours. My other half swears by it so I thought I’d give it a go last year and… it actually works. No matter if I sat outside in the evening or walked through the Highlands in the early morning, midges seemed to avoid me whenever I used Avon Skin So Soft. While Avon Skin-So-Soft is definitely not as effective as DEET-based repellents, and I wouldn’t use it at all when we were travelling to Africa and Malaria was an issue, but in my experience it definitely does a decent job of repelling mosquitoes.Adult midges in Scotland generally start to come out in April and are active on the wing until October. 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. It is dependent on the temperature so could start a bit earlier or end slightly later. By early autumn midge numbers start to decrease, which is why September and October are good times to visit Scotland. Avon midge repellent: Skin So Soft Original Dry Oil Body Spray with Jojoba Does Avon Skin So Soft still repel midges? Having the right stalking clothing to help keep midges away is a good place to start, but you will still need something to deter them from making a meal out of any exposed flesh left on your body, such as your hands or head. We’ve been using Smidge insect repellent for about 6 years and find it to be very effective against the wee beasties.