Anyone who has ever visited Scotland will be well acquainted with the midge or gnat. There are 37 species of midge in Scotland, the most voracious of which is the Highland Midge Culicoides impunctatus. In summer, midges can reach very high numbers and in one study 5 million midges were collected from an area of only two square metres.

These tiny six-legged creatures descend on the unsuspecting in clouds, turning a country walk or picnic into a nightmare and can totally ruin a summer break. In a recent survey, 49% of tourists said that midges would put them off visiting Scotland again at the same time of year. And, as well as their nuisance value, they can disrupt many important commercial activities such as forestry. People are increasingly looking for alternatives to synthetic repellents to combat the midge, with almost a quarter of Scottish tourists now opting for herbal repellents.

Scottish researchers have developed a new and effective repellent which has its origins in the Indian Neem tree. In India, Neem has a long history of use in protecting against insect pests and is the ideal candidate for a safe and effective herbal repellent. Neem oil, for example, is burned to repel disease-carrying mosquitoes and Neem leaves are placed amongst stored grain. Recent scientific studies have confirmed these properties.

Neem oil was extensively tested in Scotland by Dr Allison Blackwell, the UK's leading midge expert, and her colleague, Dr Andrew Evans at the University of Edinburgh. They have developed a system that has successfully screened many plant extracts as repellents. Their results show that midges have highly sensitive antennae and could detect neem oil from the air. The scent of Neem oil prevents the midges from biting. In the final part of the test, volunteers sprayed their arm with prototype repellent and placed it into a cage of hungry midges! The results of this masochistic exercise clearly showed that Neem oil could successfully prevent midges from biting.

These exciting results have led to the development of India Tree Herbal Insect Repellent for midges and mosquitoes. This is made with neem oil, cold pressed from the seeds of the wild grown neem trees, combined with natural essential oils.

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