Aye, economic deprivation and ethnic cleansing in the Highlands had nowt to do with it.

People left here to go abroad because of midges?..

It’s a bit early to be on the sherry dear boy.

People left here to go abroad because of midges?..

Didn’t leave.
Went to Arrochar on their holidays and the midges ate them.

I’m currently suffering from 10+ horsefly bites gained on Sunday, including a couple on the achilles part of my heel, which has caused my whole ankle to swell up! Little feckers.

Books have been written about the effect of the midge on Scotland’s economy. I reckon that without the midge, Scotland would have at least double the population and levels of tourism and there would be far fewer Scots working away in other parts of the world.

Shite

Would be interesting to know if any studies have been done on if its possible to do some sort of mass midge cull, and what any possible consequences of them all being culled might be?

I still love the midge hoovers at the Red Squirrel in Glencoe, makes it bearable !

Lol @ fifeandy, you’ve been watching too much reruns of tomorrow’s world! Almost as good as your big heated fan to dry out the woods on FW DH !

Lol @ fifeandy, you’ve been watching too much reruns of tomorrow’s world! Almost as good as your big heated fan to dry out the woods on FW DH !

I’m sure most of the best ideas seemed mad to begin with 😆

Anyway, I was prompted to do a bit of googling, and came across an estimate that the midge costs the Scottish economy £286mil/yr

And then I came across this:

Which is supposedly the output of 1 weeks ‘work’ for a midge trap.

So what if the government spent £1mil per year installing 1000 traps like that. So in 10 years time we’d have 10k traps? Maybe even include some sort of subsidy for homes/businesses in heavy midge areas?

Probably ravings of a madman, but seems like a decent idea to me at least!

Midges are perfect for tourist natural selection, keeps out the infirm, week and the needy.

What about the bats. Bats love midge.

Shame all that protein goes to waste. There should surely be a wee of recycling it. Deep fried midgeburger anyone?

Shame all that protein goes to waste. There should surely be a wee of recycling it. Deep fried midgeburger anyone?

Slap one of these on the BBQ

“The Original Highland Midge Bites each contain about 1,000 of the biting insects – along with beef dripping and flour.”

I’m curious as to whether Queen Vic was badly bitten. She didn’t seem put off if she was.

Not curious enough to read her Journal, mind.

She was, she bought Balmoral instead of Ardverikie because of the midges.

A friend of mine had a wee caravan site near Fort William. He got midge eaters which worked well enough to keep the midges to a tolerable level for 2 years. He sold the dead midges to these folk I think midge factory
In the third year the midge eaters didn’t work so well and the price of propane shot up so he got rid of the midge eaters.

He sold the dead midges

Seems there really is a market to sell just about anything.
Except 26″ wheels obviously 😛

Disk wheels made out of compressed midge?

When my in-laws came over we considered going to Scotland but they declined when they read about the midges, and we went to Wales instead.

I reckon it’s a factor.

When I was up there I got mostly bitten standing outside the Co-op in Aberfoyle eating cakes. Places like this should install a big fan outside to blow the buggers away.

DP

Midges are perfect for tourist natural selection, keeps out the infirm, week and the needy.

I was looking at buying a house up in Strathconon once. The owner had previously run it as a little guest house.

He was telling me that for some people the notoriety of midges is a challenge to be accepted rather than a deterrent. He had a Austrian family come to stay who’d seemingly come on a Midge Safari – they’d come to pit themselves agains the notorious scottish midge. They’d also come to go hiking in the scottish hills in full bravarian costume- short sleeve shirts, lederhosen, braces, neckerchiefs, hat with a feather – the whole works.

So he watched them hike off into the hills…. and then he watched them come running back again – slapping their thighs.

Aye – bloody cake-eaters, cluttering up the pavements!

When I was up there I got mostly bitten standing outside the Co-op in Aberfoyle eating cakes. Places like this should install a big fan outside to blow the buggers away.

Again, natural selection, to weed out the sort that eat outside a co-op.

Where should’ve I eaten then?

Round here, Spar and Co-Op stops half way round are a tradition.