Experts in Dundee say that there are five times as many midges in some parts of the country as there were this time last year.
Dundee-based Advanced Pest Solutions (APS), which compiles the Scottish Midge Forecast website, has found an increase year-on-year in the number of midges caught at sample sites across Scotland.
The company, which in five days last week took orders for 10,000 bottles of its own-formula repellent, Smidge, reported seven times as many midges as last year have been captured at one site in the Galloway Forest.
APS director Dr Alison Blackwell said the heavy rain and sunny spells have created the perfect breeding conditions for midges, with a second generation currently emerging.
She said: "Midges first emerged in mid to late May and then if we have a lovely warm wet period after that they just thrive, so the wet weather enabled them to survive, lay lots of batches of eggs and we're now seeing the second batch of midges emerge from the larvae laid by the first batch of midges so we're going to have a second big bumper peak within the next couple of weeks as well I think.
"We have a number of people trapping midges for us across the country, and even by the beginning of June some of our people had already caught more than they had last year."
It is also expected that the high levels of midges will have an affect on tourism but the scientists at APS are working to try to establish who midges bite and why, in a bid to develop new repellents.
Dr Blackwell added: "Mosquitoes respond in a very similar way to midges and they're much eaiser to handle in the lab but once we've got our solustion designed in the lab we then can take it out into the field and test against real live midge populations."
The experts also produce a forecast of the best and worst midge areas.
Comments
There are 1 comments