There are few things that can ruin a British summer evening quite as efficiently as midges.
You've finally made it outside. The sun's out, the BBQ is lit, and then — within minutes — you're slapping your arms and retreating indoors. If that sounds familiar, you're not alone. We hear from customers all summer long who've tried various sprays and candles and still ended up bitten.
The reason most midge control efforts fall short? People treat midges the same way they'd treat mosquitoes. They're not the same insect, they don't behave the same way, and what works brilliantly against one doesn't always work against the other. Getting that distinction right is where effective control starts.
Midges vs Mosquitoes — Why It Actually Matters
Most people assume midges and mosquitoes are basically the same thing. They're not, and the difference changes how you deal with them.
Mosquitoes are the larger of the two — typically 3–7mm, with that characteristic long needle-like proboscis and the high-pitched wing whine you can usually hear before you see them. They tend to bite one at a time and are more active indoors.
Biting midges are a different creature entirely. The most troublesome UK species — Culicoides impunctatus, the Highland midge — is only about 1–3mm long. You often don't notice them until you're already being bitten, and they don't hunt solo. They come in swarms. If you've visited Scotland, the Lake District, or the Yorkshire Moors between June and August and come back with clusters of intensely itchy welts around your ankles, wrists, and hairline, that's what got you.
Then there's a third group that causes confusion: non-biting midges. These look similar, swarm in clouds around lights on summer evenings, and are often mistaken for mosquitoes — but they don't bite at all. Annoying, yes. Genuinely harmful, no.
Getting the identification right matters because the approach differs. Biting midges require consistent personal protection above all else. Non-biting indoor swarms are best addressed with window screens. Mosquitoes are a slightly different problem with slightly different solutions. Treating them all the same is why so many people feel like nothing works.
When and Where Are Midges Worst?
Biting midges are most active from late May through to September, peaking in June and July. But it's not just the time of year — conditions matter as much as season.
Midges are weak fliers. On a breezy day, you'll barely notice them. But on a warm, still, humid evening — especially near water, boggy ground, woodland, or damp vegetation — they come into their own. That's why places like the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District, and coastal Wales see the worst of it, and why your garden can feel midge-free on a Tuesday and unbearable on a Thursday after rain.
Dawn and dusk are typically the worst windows. On overcast days, biting can continue throughout the afternoon. If you're planning a camping trip, an outdoor event, or a holiday in a known midge area between June and August, it's genuinely worth preparing before you go — not just hoping for the best.
How to Identify Midge Bites
Midge bites usually show up in small clusters rather than the single isolated bites you'd expect from a mosquito. They're small, red, and for many people intensely itchy — often more so than mosquito bites. The reaction varies quite a bit between individuals; some people barely notice, others swell significantly.
The most common bite sites are anywhere repellent has been missed or worn off — the backs of ankles, wrists, the hairline, and the back of the neck are the classic spots.
If you're getting bitten indoors overnight, that's much more likely to be mosquitoes than midges. Biting midges are very rarely an indoor problem.
How to Prevent Midge Bites
Here's the honest truth about midge control: unlike dealing with an ant colony or a mouse problem, there's no source to eliminate. Midges breed in boggy ground and open countryside — the habitat is vast and impossible to treat at a DIY level. The control strategy is about protecting yourself and making your immediate outdoor spaces less comfortable for them to keep them away.
Our recommended approach: protect yourself first, then layer deterrents around the spaces you use.
Put Repellent On — Properly
This is the single most important step and the one that most commonly goes wrong. Midge repellent only works where you've applied it. The spots people miss — ankles, the back of the neck, the hairline, behind the ears — are exactly where midges target first.
Insect repellent pump sprays can give around 4 hours of protection and are easy to reapply when needed. For days out, hiking, or camping, you may wish to take a spray pens with you as they are compact enough to carry in a pocket and top up on the go.
Reapply after swimming, heavy sweating, or whenever you notice protection wearing off. In high midge conditions, every few hours is realistic.
Think About Timing and Clothing
You don't have to change your whole summer around midges, but a few small adjustments make a real difference. Where you can, shift outdoor time to the middle of the day — midge activity drops significantly in brighter, drier conditions. On breezy days you'll often barely need repellent at all.
Covering up helps too. Long sleeves and trousers (lighter colours tend to attract fewer insects) reduce exposed skin. Midges can bite through very thin fabrics, so repellent on the skin underneath or applied to the clothing surface adds another layer of protection.
Add Citronella Deterrents Around Your Outdoor Space
On-skin repellent protects you. Citronella products work on the space around you. They're two different tools and they work best used together.
Citronella works by releasing a scented vapour that discourages biting insects in the immediate area. It's most effective in still, sheltered conditions — think covered patios, garden seating areas, and doorways — and it works better when positioned upwind of where you're sitting.
From our range:
- Citronella Incense Coils — good for longer outdoor sessions; position on stable, non-flammable surfaces a safe distance from walkways
- Citronella Tealights — practical for garden tables and seating, with the added bonus of ambient lighting on summer evenings
- Citronella Reed Diffuser — a subtler option for covered outdoor spaces like porches and sheltered patios
One thing worth being upfront about: citronella reduces midge pressure around a seating area. It doesn't create a bite-free zone. In heavy midge conditions — a humid, still evening in June in the Lake District, say — you'll still need personal repellent. Citronella alone won't be enough.
Keep Your Garden Less Inviting
You can't drain a Scottish loch, but you can reduce the conditions that draw midges close to the house. Keep grass cut, clear wet leaf litter from borders, and make sure garden drainage is working properly around the areas you use most. Persistently damp, sheltered corners of the garden are exactly the kind of microhabitat midges are drawn to.
Switch outdoor lights to warm white or yellow-spectrum bulbs where possible — cool white lights are much more attractive to flying insects generally.
Stop Them Getting Indoors
Biting midges rarely come indoors, but non-biting midges can swarm around lit windows in summer. If this is something you deal with, a window fly screen is the most practical fix. We stock Window Fly Screen in both white and anthracite (130 x 150cm) — it fits most standard windows, keeps insects out, and still lets air through on warm nights.
Safety
Always read the label on any repellent product, including guidance on age restrictions, application near the face, and reapplication intervals. Some products aren't suitable for very young children, so check before use.
Keep citronella coils and candles on stable surfaces away from anything flammable, don't leave them unattended, and keep all products stored out of reach of children and pets.
If you're travelling to areas where mosquito-borne diseases are a concern, speak to your GP or a travel health clinic — personal repellents are a useful layer of protection but may not be sufficient on their own.
If you or anyone in your household has an allergic reaction to bites — significant swelling beyond the bite site, difficulty breathing, or widespread rash — seek medical advice promptly.
Keeping Track
Midge activity changes week to week depending on the weather, so it's worth staying on top of what's working rather than assuming last week's approach will cover this week's conditions.
During peak season (June to August), check in weekly: are bites still happening despite applying repellent? If so, think about coverage and reapplication timing before assuming the product isn't performing. In our experience, the most common reason repellent underperforms isn't the product — it's the areas that were missed. Ankles and the back of the neck are the first places to check.
If you're using citronella outdoors, keep an eye on stock levels — coils and tealights deplete quickly when you're using them every evening.
When to Call a Professional
For most UK households, midges are a seasonal nuisance rather than anything requiring professional pest control. But if you're finding persistent indoor swarms of non-biting midges linked to a drainage issue, a water feature, or heavily waterlogged garden, a pest controller can help assess whether environmental changes are worth making.
For biting midges specifically, the scale of the breeding habitat means professionals won't be able to eliminate the problem either — the focus should remain on personal protection and deterrence.
Final Thoughts
Getting on top of midges isn't about finding the single product that fixes everything. It's about layering a few consistent habits:
- Know what you're dealing with — biting midge, non-biting midge, or mosquito
- Apply repellent properly, to all exposed skin, and reapply it
- Use citronella deterrents around your outdoor spaces as a second layer
- Time outdoor activity away from dawn and dusk where you can
- Fit window screens if indoor swarms are a problem
Do all of that and you'll dramatically reduce the number of bites you're dealing with — even in the worst conditions British summer can throw at you.
We go to great lengths to ensure that all our DIY midge control products are effective, fast & easy-to-use. Explore our range of products to take control of your pest problems with confidence.
