When do midges come out to play?

When in the day or year do you get Midges

Midges often come out first thing in the morning or around tea time, when any wind often dies down, though you get them during the day in shady places. They also like moisture or sweat, and fly around after or during light rain or drizzle. They are supposed to be attracted to carbon dioxide, so try not to breathe heavily if they're around. If you go for a run or cycle don't stop or they'll get you! Midges don't like wind or bright sunlight, they prefer warm humid days.

The worst time for midges can be still summer evenings and nights, in sheltered or shady areas which campers often prefer. Cover up or use a midge repellent. Being tiny, midges can find any small hole or opening, use midge netting to protect tent openings or caravan or campervan windows. The netting must be extremely fine; mosquito nets are not great as the holes are far too big. Avoid wet areas, such as by the river or burn. Midges can be found up on the hills, but are generally less common there.

It's a common belief that a very cold winter kills off midges so that there will be less the following summer. But apparently midge larvae have been discovered one or two metres deep, which would be below the frozen layer. We reckon midges survive the cold, but don't hatch out in hot dry weather which dries out their breeding grounds. By common custom there are two breeding seasons, May/June and late July/early August, and sometimes a third in late August or early September. That depends on the weather at the time, and we see a lot of midges in April, and even a warm March, and they can still be around in October, though a cold August sees many midges die off.

If you have midges NOW, get the repellent!

If you want more facts, there's:
back to main page about midges
where do you get midges
what can you do about midges
what to do if you have a midge bite