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Mrs SR and our daughter have just returned from camping and hiking around Ben Nevis.
We are all now debating how to pronounce ‘midge’. Apparently, some people say ‘midg-ee’, which just sounds silly to my ear.
So, what is it? Midge? Or Midg-ee?
Midge - as in Midge Ure of Ultravox....
Mijjy
Midgey
It’s pronounced Ya-wee-bassa
Either is correct.
Midge is fine. Usually I'd refer to multiple as midgies. But then we might also say "it's a bit midgie". And sometimes refer to them as "the midge".
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/50238583836_7b33769cfc_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/50238583836_7b33769cfc_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2jxpSFW ]00002[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/druidh2000/ ]Colin Cadden[/url], on Flickr
Click on the link for the full horror 🙂
midg-ee
Midgee or Midgies, as the wee ****ers rarely work alone.
Mijj singular and mijjees plural IME, but as above they're never really singular
I think midgie is a cute pet name like doggie isn't it?
They are midges.
I think midgie is a cute pet name like doggie isn’t it?
They are [s]midges[/s] little flying arseholes.
FTFY. Think more Weegie than doggy.
Midgie and Midgies, never heard anyone refer to them as midges.
mij-jy
plural - mij-jeez
singular - mij.
Actually edit, above was right, didn't read, more like a double J, but first yin quieter, more emphasis on the second.
btw, there's not really such a thing as a mij. There's always millions of the wee bastards! 😆
Deep joy! Heading to Appin with the trailer tent on Saturday 😂 got midge hoods, bulk supply of Skin so Soft and eternal hope..!
Midgie/midgies.
Midge/midges is something I've only heard in an English accent.
Midgies here - and, as others have said, I've never had cause to refer to them in the singular.
scotroutes - I'm itchy just looking at that - makes me want to stay indoors forever 😫
Have heard a few forinners say "midgets". Gets me every time.
The Mij. Or The ****n Mij.
Smidge is your friend.
Best of luck timbog, Saturday on rannoch moor was the worst I've ever seen them, we were still being eaten alive going over the devil's staircase at 10pm.
Are they particularly bad this year?
Our is it just that the weather system we recently enjoyed meant there wasn't much of a breeze?
I'm not sure we get good or bad years tbh, conditions are the big factor. Saturday was warm, had been damp overnight, and there wasn't a breath of wind.
Perfect storm.
Midge: pronunciation: Bar-st-ards
According to the Midge Forecast folks, numbers are up by around 25% on last year.
Good news? There's a likelihood of snow on some of the mountains next week.
That midge forecast site is funny. Most of the west coast is a pretty much constant 5/5
Needs a real cold snap that last about 4 weeks in winter as the freezing kills them off. I was trailbuilding in January and February and lifting up the carpet of the ground vegetation and they were swarming all over me. We didn't really get a cold winter so there are likely to be more of them.
I do miss the 4 distinct sessions of old, they really did sort the country out for the next session!
Another for Midg-ee, although our Speyside ones are a little less ferocious than the west coast ones, not by much though. I once abandoned a mate who punctured on Ben Aigen as they were horrendous and I was starting to go mad, I was beginning to contemplate murder with a minipump...
Yep Mij-ee
Incidentally there were hunners of the wee bastards at Glentress on Sunday, its not a place I normally bother using any repellent, but the bites on my forearms and legs say otherwise.
This week is the first time they’ve bothered me this year, but they’re certainly making up for lost time.
Smidge beats SSS hands down.
I once abandoned a mate who punctured on Ben Aigen
It’s accepted practice in group rides up here that if you puncture and there’s midges out you’re on your own.
Mosquito
Mosquito are rather pleasant compared to the midges...mozzies tend to be lower numbers, midges are counted by the thousands...we also don't appear to have (m)any mozzies in this country, I don't think (apart from the ones in old wartime aircraft museums) - do we?
scotroutes - ^ 😱
Just consulted wife from fife, she agrees mijj singular, and mijjees plural.
That thing Scotroutes just posted is scary and making me itch 🙁
Mid-jay-bas-turdss. Would be a west coast lilt.
Are they particularly bad this year?
Yes
Are they particularly bad this year?
We had to release extra this month because Boris was coming...
Have heard a few forinners say “midgets”. Gets me every time.
Are you sure they're no talking about the people?
Is there a reason why they are so prevalent? I know damp conditions are required, so is part of the issue that the Scots landscape is often managed for shooting? I.e if forest was reintroduced instead of boggy moorland they would naturally have less habitat? Think I read that nematode worms had been tried as a predator for the larvae, but tilting at windmills if it’s really all about the landscape itself?
FWIW we have several types of mosquitos too.
It's true that the secret underground midge factory has been putting in extra hours this year in an attempt to control the high number of tourists. For those that don't know, it's within the foothills of Ben Nevis. A few regularly escape before being shipped off to other parts of the country which is why there are so many around Fort William
Fleshy, pink, English tourists are just the approved way to gather the biomass in one place so it can be harvested, compressed, and stored for winter rations.
Is there a reason why they are so prevalent? I know damp conditions are required, so is part of the issue that the Scots landscape is often managed for shooting? I.e if forest was reintroduced instead of boggy moorland they would naturally have less habitat?
I don't think so - there's plenty of midges in the forests too, and away from shooting estates. Equally they are less prevalent on the east of Scotland - despite the presence of much land managed for estate use. I suspect the rainfall is more important than the land use - although it may have some influence. They also don't really like intense sunlight or strong winds. Tree cover helps with shade and shelter.
They don't need a blood meal just to lay their first eggs (and thus roughly maintain a population status quo). To lay more eggs though they have to feed on blood - mostly that is deer and sheep - but it can be human. They can't lay eggs in dry soil, so its likely that if the numbers are up this year then in the soil was wet last summer, and perhaps they did better at feeding on blood too.
Think I read that nematode worms had been tried as a predator for the larvae?
The question is - do we really want to get rid of them? Not only are they a potential important part of the foodchain for other wildlife, the West Highlands are already struggling somewhat with tourist density, removing one of the major "tourist repellants" in peak season would risk turning it into Cornwall!
wife from fife
This amused me greatly 🙂
Loads of midges in the campsite near Cardigan this summer btw. Not quite Scottish levels but not far off.
Depends on where you are.
At home you refer to them as scotroutes says. When you're in the hills and fully covered you might say there's a lot of "bloody midgies" out today.
However, stripped down ready to get into your sleeping back, it might be these, "***** " as you futilely wave your arms around massacring 1,000 of the little b**s only to have another million pour through that little gap your tent zip leaves when its closed.
I believe that's why the Gaelic language was invented, to provide adequate descriptive powers for the wee beasties.
I see from the midge forecast that the western Isles are low - is that usually the case? My recollection of a visit to Skye, Harris etc many years ago is that they weren't too bad, but I could've been lucky. Thinking of a trip to Mull next summer...
Anyone who's spent time at Glen Brittle or Sligachan campsites will strongly disagree with that !!!!
The Outer Hebrides are generally quite windy they're less of a problem
I see from the midge forecast that the western Isles are low – is that usually the case? My recollection of a visit to Skye, Harris etc many years ago is that they weren’t too bad, but I could’ve been lucky. Thinking of a trip to Mull next summer…
They struggle to fly in winds above about 5-6 mph. This means that that the most exposed of the islands can be much better than you might otherwise expect. I suspect that some parts of Mull may be sufficiently sheltered to let them thrive. A still dry day on Skye is a rare thing - but it will certainly have midges in June-August.
I don't think we can blame grouse moor for midges as anyone who has stood still for more then 5 seconds on the heavily forested east side of Loch Lomond or Leanachan Forest at the Nevis range will attest.
They struggle to fly in winds above about 5-6 mph. This means that that the most exposed of the islands can be much better than you might otherwise expect. I suspect that some parts of Mull may be sufficiently sheltered to let them thrive. A still dry day on Skye is a rare thing – but it will certainly have midges in June-August.
Ta! I did a fair bit of walking in the Cuillins (including routes from Sligachan and Glen Brittle), as you say there were midges, but not the huge swarms in the photos on this thread. I'll probably book a house in Tobermory, just wanted to know if I'm likely to be savaged the moment I open the front door.
Pretty sure the swear filter would explode if the true Scots for midgies was ever spoken!
Are they particularly bad this year?
Yes, Largs and the areas around have been utterly infested, there are midges in plenty of places you wouldn't normally find them.
Seemingly low atmospheric pressure can force them down, there have been loads of swallows down from the hills anyway so they're feeding on something.
epicyclo
Subscriber
Depends on where you are.
Also depends when, if ye get caught when they are hatching or have just hatched, you are basically f'd.
I'd a glorious evening camping down by the leadhills a couple of weeks ago. pretty much none. I even didn't bother putting my inner tent and just pulled the sleeping bag over the top of me.
Nearly a silly mistake, cause that could have been nasty morning if they were bad! 😆
I live 1,000ft up a glen on Speyside amidst grouse moors - luckily few midges here as there usually a wind of some description. If I went down to the forest at the bottom of the glen, I'd get chewed alive.
There's two types of midge attack.
One where you wonder when you're going to die.
One where you hope you're going to die.
I hate them. It’s my least favourite thing about having moved to Scotland. It means we often avoid going away in the summer.
They’ve been bad at home this year and that’s a little seaside town not far from Glasgow.
just returned from dumfries and galloway, sunny and hot every day and not a single midge. I kept checking my GPS to make sure I was actually in Scotland.
North East and Northumberland it’s definitely “Midjee“
IME They’re really never that bad in Aberdeenshire - till you get nearer Braemar way.
And it’s mij-ee, nae Mij!
Mij is the correct pronounciation.
Mijs is plural.
Commoners and peasants may use the 'mijee' or 'mijees' variations. These are both regional slang and should be avoided.
Having said that, posh people may sometimes use these variations when doing impressions of commoners, or after alcohol consumption.
In a Scots accent, there is no difference in sound between midges and midgees, it's only different in the singular, which as said many times, never happens.
Growing up in Forres they were never very bad until you went inland and West a bit. I remember Glen Affric being grim one summer with them. However by far the worst I've ever seen was at the Kielder 100 briefing in 2011 (I think). Also bad for the actual ride. I looked like I had some Victorian skin disease the next day.
Maybe the answer is to wear a kilt. 🙂
Any volunteers?
Isn’t the midge the National Bird of Scotland?