Midgees

Many places might be proud of the ferocity of their biting insects, or even the relentless annoyance of non-biting ones (Aussie flies!) but few in my experience can compare to the Scottish midgee (especially those resident in the west of the country) for driving you nuts. Similar to no-see-ums or sandflies in the US they thrive in the damp environment and cool humid weather that constitutes much of the Scottish summer.

We were reminded of this fact camping on the west coast on a cool damp weekend last week. Our run in the woods was going well Saturday until we stopped in the woods for a beer break... and a million midgees gatecrashed the party. Cue speedy bottle opening and drinking on the hoof. From then on all weekend we had several instances where the breeze dropped and the insects took over. Now we'll remember to bring repellent wherever we go.

As I knew from 20 plus years ago midge bites bring me out in large welts, but they only irritate a lot for maybe 30 minutes. Tracy, however, thought she was pretty immune, but was complaining of itchy legs a couple of days later. Don't underestimate the little b%&((*^%s.

Q: Why dont you kill a midgee?
A: Because another 10,000 will come to the funeral.