Spray could end our midge misery at last
NEW weapons in the battle against the midge menace, which costs Scotland £300million in lost tourism revenue every year, are soon to go on the market.
Early next year, a spray that can cover an entire room in an anti-midge blanket will be available in the shops and a cream to protect tourists and outdoor workers and enthusiasts should follow a year later.
Researchers from Aberdeen University and Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, Herts, developed the repellent.
Scottish entomologist James Logan, of Rothamsted Research, said: “Some people are less likely to be attacked by midges and we wanted to find out why.
“We discovered that, of hundreds of human-derived volatile chemicals, two of them act together as a significant repellent.
“We still don’t know how or why people produce them, but when they are on the skin, midges will tend to turn the other way.”