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A Guide to Highland Midges – How to Try & Avoid Bites

Nicola
Posted on 13 Mar 2017

Highland midges, where do we begin. They’re the guest at the picnic no one wanted to invite but turned up anyway to flaunt around. They search for refreshments and shade away from the summer sun, but unlike you or me, midges just don’t know when enough is enough. If you’ve not had the pleasure of experiencing these tiny two-winged creatures before, you're in for a treat during the summer months in Scotland. Be prepared with our guide to Highland midges to help reduce the likelihood of walking away with more than souvenirs of your trip.

Coming up in the article:

What Are Highland Midges?

The Highland midge, known as culicoides impunctatus, is a nasty wee beastie no bigger than an adult fingernail. It's pronounced 'mij-ee' and has a bad reputation for causing irritation from their bites. And not only do their bites nip, but the midge fly in large swarms, so they also get in your eyes and mouth. Yuck!

Being notorious within the Scottish Highlands, these tiny creates are often what have kept a low population within the region. But without them the landscapes wouldn’t be the same. Our best advice? You can never be too prepared. Travelling within the summer months is when a lot of us want to escape our daily routines for more adventures, and we’d hate for you not to see this part of the world just because of a few small insects.

What Conditions do the Highland Midge Like?

The perfect conditions for these tiny bugs to thrive in is the idyllic landscapes of the North and West of Scotland. Whether you tour in spring, or book your trip for autumn, it’s likely when visiting these regions of Scotland, you’ll come across Highland midges.

For example, the tall pine trees found in the Cairngorms National Park create a shelter from the sun and create a barrier to the strong winds, a midge haven.

The Highland midge are most active in temperatures of between 8 and 18°C, with wind speeds below 2.5 metres a second. Midge are also known to swarm around areas close to lochs and rivers, as they need damp conditions to lay their eggs.

The peak times for midge activity are in the early mornings and late evenings.

3 Top Tips to Avoid the Highland Midge

The Highlands without midges is like butter without bread, it doesn’t make sense. And while every year as soon as the flicker of their wings begin to take flight, signalling the incoming of the peak season, our announce for these wee beasties grow, it wouldn’t be the same without them. So here are our top 3 tips to combatting Highland midge bites:

As we’re discussing summer months, firstly we would advise you to apply sunscreen and ensure that it’s completely dry before applying an effective midge spray. Trek Midge & Tick is a DEET-free repellent spray, made by Pyramid Travel Products, that can be used on areas of exposed skin. This repellent will protect you for up to 12 hours.
Another piece of wisdom to avoid midge bites is to never wear dark coloured clothing. Yes, we all love to wear black as it goes with literally everything, but midges are more attracted to dark coloured clothing. So instead, wear long-sleeved and lightly coloured clothing, perhaps a casual chiffon shirt and khaki trousers?
If you’re travelling to areas where you know the highland midge will be present, we recommend that you also wear a midge hat, for protection for your face and neck.

If you’ve already secured your 2025 small-group tour booking, take a quick look over the other items we recommend packing for a Rabbie’s tour.

Highland Midges FAQs

Now you’ve been introduced to the wee beasties, or Highland midge, we’re sure you have a handful of follow up questions.

What do Midge Bites Look Like?

A Highland midge bite looks like small red dots which can often develop into itchy, painful swellings. In more serious cases they can often blister, and if this is the case medical advice may be needed.

Are There Midge Bite ‘Hotspots’ to Know About?

Scotland as a whole can be quite the Highland midge hotspot, but to narrow down to specific areas, you’d be looking at:

West of the Highlands
Parts of the Cairngorms
Perthshire
Argyll

What’s the Difference Between a Highland Midge and a Mosquito?

Highland midge and mosquitos are very similar in the fact they both bite and draw blood, yet there are 4 differences between the two:

Only female midge bite, whereas all mosquitos bite
Size differences between the two insects, Highland midge are tiny gnat fly size (vary between 1-3mm), but they travel is big swarms
Highland midge are primarily found in Scotland’s damp, marshland areas, whereas mosquitos are found worldwide in warmer climates
Midges don’t transfer diseases to humans, whereas mosquitos are known for transmitting serious diseases such as malaria and Zika virus.

Protect Yourself While Touring with Rabbie’s

A bite-free trip is all we want. But at least you now know how to prepare to reduce your chances of these wee besties leaving their red marks. So, join us for an adventure, whether setting sail to the Isle of Skye as if she's called to you from across the shores, or you pull out your detective hat in search of uncovering the legendary water monsters of the Loch Ness. Each trip will be unforgettable. For more doses of inspiration, be sure to sign up to our newsletter where you’ll get our Black Friday travel deals, our favourite short stories and more directly to your inbox.