OUTDOOR lovers have been warned to brace for an Easter invasion of midges.
Bug experts predicted an earlier influx of the biting beasties due to the warmer spring.
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Bug expert Jay Hutchison of APS Biocontrol has predicted a midge influxCredit: Supplied
Insect scientist Jay Hutchison told how repellent spray sales are already “ramping up”.
He said: “People living up north are starting to anticipate the midges will come quite soon.
“Last week we were getting up to 20°C degrees.
“That weather, coupled with any rain — even a sprinkling — will make midges come out earlier than usual.”
His APS Biocontrol firm runs the Scottish Midge Forecast using weather station data.
And He reckons this spring has been 1°C hotter than in 2024, with individual days as much as 4°C higher.
The entomologist added: “Easter would normally be a bit early for midges but we could see them come out by then.
“The start of the season is normally around May.
With this weather, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was before the end of April.”
There are 19 species of the bloodsuckers that are notoriously hard to shoo away and leave painful marks on the skin.
Scotland has more than 35 species of midge but the Highland type is the most ferocious.
The worst conditions are normally in mid-June.
There is another peak in August and a possible outbreak in the autumn.
One square metre can contain about 500,000 of the tiny pests.
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Scotland faces a midge invasion after millions of flesh-biting beasties hatch earlyCredit: Alamy