Midge/Cleg Season

[ouroboros]

The woman I was speaking to said the one she saw deterred midges. I wonder if it's the same device.

Chalk another one down to someone I met in the pub told me....

[JTweedie]

I was up Glen Loin on Sunday as was bitten for the first time by a cleg. I felt an itching on my wrist and looked down and saw it having a good long drink. The path was teeming with insects, many of which flew into me. Some common hawkers were there too - I hope they took their fair share of clegs!

[hailiamdigby]

Chalk another one down to someone I met in the pub told me....

That's a pity

[allanglens]

There is a machine which attracts midges and traps and kills them. I think by emitting carbon dioxide which they home in on. But it isn't portable - at least not for walkers - so back to sprays and creams, I fear.

[rogasb]

Sonic repeller debunked :-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20669080

[Boulderdash]

I moved to my present address 10yrs ago and there were undoubtedly far more swallows and swifts swooping about than there is now. I have been reporting on the amount of swallows to the RSPB for quite a few years now and there is a marked decline in numbers. Lots of theories are being bandied about from a decline in outbuildings through to flower and weed free fields with the use of modern pesticides.
Dunno what the underlying cause may be but I do notice that I have definitely seen a decline in houseflies, wasps, bees, bumble bees and an increase in crane flies, cleggs and dragonflies of all description.
Might be no cause at all and just some cyclical trend?!

[hailiamdigby]

I seem to remember hearing that the swallows you see in Britain migrate to South Africa, during the winter.
I've just read that swifts migrate to Africa too.

[Cairngormwanderer]

Clegs utterly appalling in Cairngorms this weekend.

[RicKamila]

Clegs utterly appalling in Cairngorms this weekend.

Agree. Kamila has two bites. One is swelling a little bit now

[Cairngormwanderer]

Two?! On Friday night I got bitten about 20 times between Linn of Dee and Carn a Mhaim, and probably as often again at Bob Scott's on Saturday. Good job I didn't react, otherwise I'd be one big red blob.

[bootsandpaddles]

It does seem to a good year if you are a cleg. Thousands of them on Mull but very few midges.

[Caberfeidh]

I seem to remember hearing that the swallows you see in Britain migrate to South Africa, during the winter.
I've just read that swifts migrate to Africa too.

Don't you watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

[hailiamdigby]

Don't you watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

I saw it many years ago but I don't recall what you're referring to?

[Mountain Sloth]

I have hardly seen a midge all year but have been tormented by clegs everywhere. I was in Lochaber last week and could hardly walk for all the clegs weighing me down. Fannaichs today and it was even worse - I was lucky not to lose a limb to the wee rascals.

Something sinister is going on... I think the clegs are planning a takeover having played second fiddle to Scotland's self-styled insect-kings for years. Is it possible the clegs have eaten all the midges?

[nathan79]

The clegs and the midges were oot and aboot on Skye at the weekend. The midges were only around late evening to early morning. I do have a few (less than 20) bites on my legs but only because I was lying with my unsmidged legs outside the tent on Saturday evening as I tried to recover from the day's endeavours.

I think I do have a single cleg bite on my arm, which isn't bad considering how many were zipping about, but they seemed to prefer Gavin99 to me.